Racing: Butt's aspirations pay off

Peak made a winning debut for the powerful Tim Butt stable at Ashburton yesterday. Photo / Race Images

Trainer Graham Court was right, Cran Dalgety left shellshocked, Tim Butt proud and Mark Purdon didn't know how to feel after an incredible Flying Stakes meeting at Ashburton yesterday.

The meeting is traditionally the best lead-up to New Zealand Cup Day at Addington but yesterday's events stamped it as one of the strangest in recent harness racing history, full of bizarre incidents, punting horror stories and a watershed moment for open-class trotting.

The big winners were Terror To Love, who thrashed his rivals in the Flying Stakes and is on target for a third New Zealand Cup, and former Scandinavian trotter Peak who beat some of our best in his first Southern Hemisphere start.

The losers were the punters who took redhot odds about Christen Me and Adore Me - two of our glamour pacers - and watched that money disappear as their standing start manners terminated their chances.

But it was that sort of day.

It started with three attempts to start the first race and the crazy writing was on the wall later when previously unbeaten 3-year-old Alleluia led and finished unplaced in what was supposed to be the race to seal him Sires' Stakes Final favouritism.

But the Flying Stakes was when things got really strange, expensive and even dangerous.

The race was turned upside down when hot favourite Christen Me galloped, settled and then galloped wildly in what trainer Cran Dalgety described as a mental meltdown.

"He panicked, simple as that," said Dalgety.

"It is a real shame and again raises the question why we have standing starts in this day and age.

"But we do, so we will press on and block his ears up more before the Cup. But at least he was all right after the race."

That gallop allowed arch rival Terror To Love to cruise to the lead and distance his rivals in national record time, as trainer Graham Court had boldly predicted in the Herald.

He is right on target to win his third Cup, the market for which re-opens at 10am today.

The scary element of the race was Fly Like An Eagle losing his outside rein and ducking inside the markers and eventually on to the training track at full speed, with Mark Purdon little more than a passenger during an incident that could have ended in tragedy.

Purdon's day didn't get much better as last season's champion filly Adore Me completely blew her standing start comeback, cost punters a fortune and did her campaign no favours in another blow to standing start credibility.

However, among the thorns was a Northern Hemisphere red rose, with Scandinavian trotter Peak downing some of our best on his New Zealand debut.

His trainer Tim Butt has wanted to import a high-quality trotter from Sweden since campaigning Lyell Creek there in 2001 and now has three in his stable.

He was forced to race the lanky chestnut earlier than he wanted to have him ready for the rigours of New Zealand Cup Week so the fact he was able to lead throughout suggests Butt's dream has burst into magnificent reality.

And if Peak goes on to do the job Butt expects, he could prove a trailblazer for further Australasian investment in Europe's rich pool of trotting blood.

On an amazing day, his performance may end up being the most important.