Racing: After Group One glory comes early morning reality

Cambridge horseman David Butcher was back to reality at 6 am yesterday.

On Friday night Butcher was the toast of Australasian harness racing after partnering Elsu to a stunning victory in the $750,000 Mach Three Inter Dominion Pacing Grand Final at Alexandra Park.

Over the carnival Elsu captured the imagination of racing and non-racing sports fans.

Butcher, as his regular driver, is part of the equation.

While basking in the Group One glory, Butcher knew reality was just around the corner.

He trains a team of racehorses in partnership with his father John.

"I'll quickly get reminded about how great it is driving a horse like Elsu because on Saturday morning I'll be training a few slow ones," said Butcher.

"It's like jumping out of the latest Porsche sports car and into the seat of a family sedan car.

"Elsu has that much speed that it's scary on occasions when you ask him to do things during a race.

"He has the ability to pick the bit up in his mouth and sprint hard when you want him to and then drop the bit and relax. His racing manners, attitude and ability to race anywhere in the field are what make him a champion.

"I won't have any time to celebrate the win because I'll head straight back to Cambridge after the races and be up at 6 to train our horses.

"I'll then have workouts at Cambridge Raceway then straight into the truck and I'll bring The Faker [placed third] in the harness race during the Ellerslie races.

"On Saturday night I'll sit down and watch the race replay a few times and I think the enormous performance this horse has put in will hit me.

"He's raced like a machine on every night of this carnival.

"He powered through all three qualifying heats and he gave me the impression afterwards that he had a bit in hand.

"When I was young fella growing around horses and working for my father I dreamed about sitting behind a horse like Elsu.

"He was a champion 3 and 4-year-old and this season he's been beaten twice by Just An Excuse and Sokyola in the New Zealand Cup and Miracle Mile.

"But since Geoff [trainer, Small] got this horse back to Auckland after failing in the Miracle Mile in Sydney he's felt like a different horse.

"In the Miracle Mile he tried his hardest but it just wasn't meant to be. But since I drove him in the Auckland Cup he's felt like a horse that can literally change gears and sprint when others can't."

Butcher and Elsu had the $750,000 Inter Dominion Pacing Grand Final safely under control when the combination swept forward three wide around the field with a lap to run to sit outside Sokyola.

Elsu relaxed outside Sokyola and applied the pressure on the highly-rated Australian-trained pacer down the back stretch before accelerating away from the opposition with 600 metres remaining.

One word stood out afterwards in the mind of Butcher when it came to discussing the tactics of rival horsemen - intimidation.

"I just think Elsu had looked so dominating throughout the three qualifying rounds of the Inter Dominions that a lot of the other drivers were intimidated by us.

"A lot of the horses that were driven aggressively during the qualifying rounds were driven in a different style tonight.

"When I worked forward three wide I expected Ian McMahon [driver of Flashing Red] who was parked outside Sokyola to make me work hard to cross over in front of him.

"But he gave up straight away.

"Elsu was just cruising outside Sokyola down the back straight and I made a decision that I wanted to cross over in front of him before the last turn.

"I was worried because Sokyola can run out quite badly when racing around the track here at Alexandra Park. I didn't want him running out underneath me and taking me out into the middle of the track."