Kourtney Kardash provides first G1 start for young equine couple

Young harness racing trainer, Shane Butcher, has his feet firmly planted on the ground as he prepares for his first Group One training assignment on Friday night at Alexandra Park.

Butcher’s grounding is in no small part due to the fact that while his opposition for the Great Northern Oaks are trained by some of the most extensive full-time operations in the country, Shane has a full-time job as a farrier.

The former Waikato lad is now based in Pukekohe where he juggles full-time work commitments with training a small team.

“I’ve just got the two pacers in work, which is more than enough to keep me out of trouble,” said Butcher.

Both of those pacers line up in the next couple of days making for an exciting week with Ideal Dream (American Ideal) racing tomorrow night at Cambridge, and Kourtney Kardash (Bettor’s Delight) in the $90,000 G1 Great Nothern Oaks tomorrow night at Alexandra Park.

“Steven Reid, Simon McMullen, and my partner Monika Ranger have been great and allowed me to pursue both interests without too much trouble. It does get hard at times, but I’m lucky to have a lot of good people around me,” he said.

Butcher has a great pedigree behind him as the nephew of champion driver David Butcher, with cousins both leading reinsman also in Zachary and Benjamin. In the cart, Shane was no slouch either, as the winner 32 races in New Zealand for $344,367 in stake money.

Butcher has officially held a training license for three seasons now after realising he missed working with horses amidst the full-time grind (excuse the pun) that was shoeing horses.

While Butcher picked up his first New Zealand training success last season with the Shadyshark Hanover mare, Sharkine, it wasn’t his first training success.

“I did train a winner when I lived in Perth a few years ago,” Butcher said.

That was where Butcher spent three years working for Gary Hall Snr and Dave Thompson.

Butcher continued working in stables upon his return to New Zealand a few years ago, but he was then enticed to take up a farrier apprenticeship and is now enjoying running his own business with several top stables as his clients.

“I worked for Brian Hughes for a year or so when I came back to New Zealand and then I decided to do a farrier apprenticeship in Cambridge for a guy called Greg Hockings,” Butcher said.

“It was a four-year apprenticeship and I have been out on my own for a couple of years now.

“I have been pretty lucky to get a few barns to shoe for – Lincoln Farms, Steven Reid and Simon McMullan, and Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett. Between those barns, they keep me pretty busy,” he said.

While his path is far from the conventional one for most G1 trainers, the thrill of being among the best in class is not remiss on Butcher, particularly with the family involvement in his filly, Kourtney Kardash.

Not only will she be driven by his uncle, David, but his partner is the sole name in the ownership of the daughter of Bettor’s Delight.

Butcher’s partner is North Island junior driver, Monika Ranger, who works as the stable employee of Ray Green and the powerful Lincoln Farms operation having previously worked for the likes of Tony Herlihy.

Butcher credits Ranger with a lot of the success that will see the young horsewoman have her pride and joy line up in her first Group One as an owner.

“Monika leased Kourtney Kardash as a yearling thanks in part to her relationship with Kelly Blakemore who she is great friends with that works at Woodlands Stud. They organised the deal and Monika picked her up when she was still a yearling.

“She has always felt like she could run a bit, but she is such a big filly we have taken our time with her. She had a trial as a two-year-old, but we tipped her out for a spell and have done that a bit with getting to where she is today. It has helped strengthen her up and develop into a nice pacer,” he said.

Kourtney Kardash has some serious pedigree behind her being a full sister to Open Class performer, Steel The Show, and last year’s Great Northern Oaks runner up, Lady Of The Light.

She has shown to have inherited some of the family ability based of her first two runs this campaign, where she was a gritty third at Cambridge on debut after racing parked for a long way. She made her second career start at Alexandra Park a winning one, with enough shown by the filly to warrant a crack on the big stage this Friday night at the same venue.

KOURTNEY KARDASH REPLAY

Butcher is under no illusions that ending Milwood Nike’s unbeaten streak of ten race day wins might be a tall order, but he is looking forward to seeing his colours out there on a premiere race night.

“It’s obviously a massive step up tomorrow but you have got to be in it to win it I guess. It’s a great thrill to have a runner in a Group One and I had kind of been joking all along that she was going to be in the big races. So, for it to come off and work out the way it has is bloody good.” he said.

“All the credit really should go to Monika for this horse. She does a lot of work with her and I’m just a name in the book sort of thing,” said Butcher.

Tomorrow night’s runner is Ideal Dream, who is having his first race day start in Butcher’s colours having recently acquired the horse from Pukekohe horseman, Wayne Fausett.

“We were just looking for a horse to knock around with and have a bit of fun with. I was lucky enough to get him from Wayne and it allowed me to bring my Nan into the horse. She had recently sold Zarias (Changeover) and she just loves racing horses so it’s great to have her involved, and it’s great Monika has another horse to drive on race night” he said.

Ideal Dream has had the nine-career race day starts without running in the money, however he has at times been taking on some formidable maiden opposition with the likes of Jack The Builder, My Copy and derby runner, Lou Baby all winners in his previous races.

Ideal Dream has warmed up for tomorrow night’s assignment on the back of some tidy trial and workout form having got home in 56.9 at Franklin to win a three-horse heat. He backed that up with a solid second from nine starters on Saturday morning (18th March.)

“You never know how they are going to go first up, but his work and trials have been good. He’s no star, but he has some ability and with the way he is drawn to get a soft trip tomorrow night, hopefully he can be there fighting on at the finish,” he said.

For complete Auckland race fields, click here.

For complete Cambridge race fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink