Training-driving double for Butcher

Zachary Butcher is hopeful both of his stable sweethearts who were able to complete a harness racing double at Alexandra Park on Friday night can make it to Addington this spring.

Hopeful, but not certain.

Butcher only trains a handful of horses but two of them were able to win in similar circumstances on Friday night when both Mantra Blue and Princess Gracy sprinted from the one-one to win narrowly.

In Mantra Blue’s (Sweet Lou) case the victory carried far more merit as she was racing in the night’s main pace and had to overcome starting off a 30m handicap to get into that one-one position in the first place.

The win mirrored much of her form since coming back from a long break this year, winning well without being dazzling, although tough draws and handicaps have made life a lot harder for her than most intermediate grade mares ever have to deal with.

Later in the programme Princess Gracy was fresh-up after running second to Captains Mistress in a stacked Sires’ Stakes Final in the autumn and wore down a brave I’m Sandra Dee, a horse Butcher drove to win last Friday.

Butcher plans to take both his girls south at some stage this spring but Princess Gracy’s younger legs make her the more definite traveller.

“She will go for sure and be set for the Nevele R series which has its final on NZ Cup Day and then the NZ Oaks down there,” says Butcher.

“She is a good filly and will improve with that win.”

Butcher had earlier earmarked the new mares series of races in Canterbury for Mantra Blue but says while that is still possible he will let his stable star tell him just how involved she gets.

“She is a slightly older mare now and has a few issues,” he explains.

“She has the odd respiratory problem, almost a bit like hayfever in spring which can make things a bit tricky.

“And like a lot of horses who have raced in those good races she has some leg wear and tear.

“So we will take it a race at a time with her.

“She might get down there for two or three of those mares races or we might set her for the Bob McArdle Final, which is the race I’d really lovely to win with her because of Bob’s association with our family.”

Butcher wasn’t the only stable with a double at The Park on Friday, a meeting that had a lightning delay, almost unheard of in New Zealand harness racing.

Before all that drama the Ray Green and Nathan Delany stable trained an early double with Tyson really brave in the first on the card and then Sugar Ray Lincoln continuing his form resurgence in Race 3.

Sugar Ray Lincoln is a brother to the stable’s former two-time New Zealand Cup hero Copy That and after looking the goods last season had a disappointing start to 2025.

“He had hoof issues and we have done a lot of work on them and we are seeing the benefits of that now,” says Delany.

“He hasn’t finished winning yet and neither has Tyson, who also had a few issues but is over those now and racing well.

“The team is going well so we are very happy.”

Mantra Blue wasn’t the only winner to overcome a big handicap on Friday night as Bolt For The Hill started off 20m to win his trot for Stephanie Burley while Belle Neige came from the 30m mark to beat Castana in the main trot, once again suggesting she has open class speed.

Other highlights of the night included Brooke Wilkins recording her first New Zealand driving win with Alecto in Dunstan Horsefeeds Sires’ Stakes heat and Redpark Warrior overcoming an early mishap to continue on his winning way in the juvenile trot.

For complete race results, click here.

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand