Recovery continues for Benjamin Butcher

Cambridge-based trainer-driver Benjamin Butcher will take the next step in his recovery with a harness racing drive at the trials next week.

The 29-year-old has not driven in a competitive race since a crash at Alexandra Park last August when he broke his shoulder and suffered a serious concussion.

“I’ve had a lot of advice about head injuries and I am certainly not rushing anything,” says Butcher.

“I’ll go the trials next week and then see how I’m feeling after that.”

At one stage the symptoms were so severe he was sleeping “19 to 20 hours a day”.

“I’ve been pretty good although around Christmas time I had a few headaches with all the socialising and that.”

While he hasn’t driven a winner since July he is having good success as a trainer. His first came with $23 longshot Waltzing With Miki at Alexandra Park in October last year for James Stormont. This year he’s had three wins from just eight starts.

“Dad (David) and Zach (brother) have both driven a winner for me now and I might get a photo of that up on the wall when I get a winner of my own!”

Waltzing With Miki won again at Cambridge on January 9 while Barbarossa followed up a win there on January 24 by upsetting in the Taranaki Steelformers Stratford Cup at Hawera a week later.

As others scrambled at the start, Barbarossa and driver Zev Meredith headed straight to the front. The challengers did not come until the 600 metre mark. Upon straightening there was a wall of runners with only half a length separating the first five home.

Paying $58, Barbarossa prevailed by a neck. It was the Captaintreacherous seven-year-old’s ninth win in 102 starts.

“It was a bit of a surprise that one but he had been racing well and toughed it out.”

“He’s a horse that is capable of running some good times but it just depends if he feels like doing it on the day and I’m rapt for the owners that he got the win,” Butcher said post race.

Butcher is currently working a team of seven and is based at his father David Butcher’s place at Cambridge.

“I’ve warmed to the training side of it,” says Butcher, “even when I come back driving I probably won’t drive as much as I used to and to get a few winners has made it even better.”

by Dave Di Somma, for Harness News Desk