Butler back from break in style

A 12-month break necessitated by an operation to remove some bone chips from a knee hasn’t held back promising winter galloper Butler, who resumed with a comfortable victory over 1200m at Te Rapa on Saturday.

The strapping son of Showcasing had fashioned an excellent record before his injury-enforced layoff, winning four of his first eight starts for Taranaki trainer Allan Sharrock, before being put aside.

A comfortable trial win over 1000m at Foxton last month fitted the fouryear-old for Saturday’s assignment and in the hands of apprentice Tayla Mitchell he bounded clear of his rivals in the home straight to win handsomely by three lengths.

Sharrock, who was at home in New Plymouth, was delighted to see Butler back to his best with the win.

‘‘He’s a very exciting horse who was good enough to win four races while he had that niggling issue with his knee,’’ he said.

‘‘We put him aside after he won at Otaki this time last year and he had the surgery to remove the chips. It has been a long slow buildup to get him back, but it was a joy to see him working lately without a hint of the problem that he had earlier.

‘‘I honestly think if he didn’t have those knee issues, he would be unbeaten, that’s how much I think of him.’’

Sharrock is prepared to aim high with his charge, with the immediate plan to start him next in the Group II Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) back at Te Rapa on August 27.

Meanwhile, trainer Tony Pike doesn’t have a large number of horses operating from his Cambridge base during the winter but he still managed to put together a winning double at Te Rapa on Saturday.

Pike took out the fourth race on the card over 2100m with true blue winter galloper Miss Onaki and also collected the feature race, the Te Awamutu Cup (1600m), with consistent seven-yearold River Run.