KEY POINTS:
Champion driver Anthony Butt may have set some sort of record by managing to lose three Victoria Cup drives in the same weekend.
Butt won the two feature open class pacing races in Australia in the space of 24 hours, with Tribute completing the double in the A$150,000 ($170,000) Tasmanian Pacing Championship on Sunday night.
The rugged pacer overcame being slow early to race to the lead in the middle stages and then easily hold his moderate opposition at bay.
It was the biggest win in Australia by a Kiwi open class pacer since Elsu's Hunter Cup triumph two seasons ago and earned Tribute a spot in Saturday night's A$325,000 Victoria Cup.
Butt won the other lead-up to that race when he partnered New Zealand Cup winner Flashing Red to victory in the Poplar Alm Free-For-All at Moonee Valley on Saturday night.
He actually lost the Flashing Red drive simply by winning the race because among those he beat was Scruffy Murphy, whose defeat meant his trainer-driver Geoff Webster was freed up to handle Flashing Red in the Victoria Cup.
Butt then copped a three week suspension for his drive on Tribute, with stewards finding him guilty of checking favourite Robin Hood.
That means he will be out of action until the second round of Interdominion heats in Adelaide on January 3.
He would have had the choice of Tribute or stablemate Foreal in the Victoria Cup but will instead watch the race from his home in Canterbury.
The field for the Victoria Cup is released today.
