To be a successful harness driver, you need to be able to sum up a race and make things happen.
Kimberly Butt did just that at her sixth racedrive at Forbury Park on Thursday, October 3, 2013.
Courtesy of a plum drive behind Saveapatrol, a rising star for employer Mark Jones, in the Dunedin City Ford Junior Drivers Mobile Pace, Kimberly didn’t panic when beaten out of the gate on the raging $1.20 favourite.
She had to be confident the Grant Hatton-owned Christian Cullen gelding would have a class edge on her rivals and the promising 4YO was up to the task.
After taking control with 1100m remaining, it was a case of being too big, too strong. She celebrated the occasion with a victory salute on the line.
Saveapatrol was inclined to knock off a touch near the finish but the winning result was a comfortable 2 1/4 lengths margin over Rock Of Tara.
The pacer was first-up since an unplaced run in the NZ Derby at Addington on April 5, but showed his superiority, rating 1:59.7 for the mobile 2200m _ the last 800m in 59.8s and closing 400m in 30s.
Kimberly, 19, daughter of leading Group One reinsman Anthony, and Karen Butt (daughter of former Chertsey/Ashburton trainer Dick Prendergast), has the pedigree of a winner.
Her brother Chris has been successful as both a driver and now a trainer in West Australia, while her uncle Tim has trained the winners of most of the elite races in Australasia.
Kimberly’s late grand-father Murray Butt (son of the late multiple premierships winner Wes), was also a successful trainer-driver, as was Murray’s brother Robin, father of Woodend co-trainer-driver David Butt.
Jenny Butt, Kimberly’s grandmother, is a daughter of the legendary trainer-driver Derek Jones, while Jenny’s brother Peter Jones, a former top junior and winner of two New Zealand Cups, is the father of former record-breaking junior and world driving champion Mark Jones.
Kimberly joined Mark’s Overport Lodge team in June after transferring from Mark Purdon’s Allstars stable at Rolleston.