Butt hoping he’s timed his run just right with Dynasty
Matt Markham - Raceform • June 27th, 2025 8:00 AM • 4 min read
Bob Butt is hoping he’s got his timing just right this week, because he knows he’ll have to if Dynasty is to cause a minor upset against a couple of quality mares in the Silk Road Final at Addington.
In an ultimate nod of respect to his rivals, the Woodend Beach horseman was awfully quick to concede that his own mare will need to step it up a notch to lower the colours of an in-form Akatea or even the often-underrated Esmarelda on Friday. But he’s also cautiously optimistic that he’s got the horse that can do it.
“Everything has been building toward this race for her,” Butt told RaceForm this week. “We gave her a wee freshen up, then she was badly in need of the run first-up when she finished fourth. Even last time out, I thought I was the winner at the top of the straight, but she blew out at the 100-metre mark to finish second.
“So she’s hitting her peak right in time for the final, I think, and we’re heading into it right where we’ll need to be.”
Raced by his grandparents, Robin and Jackie Butt, Dynasty has been an interesting prospect for Butt given she’s a winner both as a pacer and a trotter, despite having only raced on 13 occasions in total.
She showed she was up to some heftier challenges in the pacing ranks back in March, however, when she won the Canterbury Breeders’ Stakes, beating Seaside Rose, Sweet Diamond and Francent.
“That night she told us she was good enough to chase some better races, and the Silk Road series looked ideal, so we set our sights on that. I’d like to think we’ve got a live chance of winning it too.”
The best weapon in the daughter of Rocknroll Hanover’s arsenal is her high gate speed, which becomes gold when your key rivals are all drawn outside you.
“It gives us a chance to get in front of them, especially over the 1980 metres, which I think is more her go than the 2600. But we’ll still have to be good to beat them, the way they are going.”
Fresh off the back of a few days in Australia with family, where he made a quick call in to drive Betterthancash into second and salute on Bet N Win at Menangle last Saturday night, Butt is in for a big night a little closer to home this week.
Recent stable acquisition Stephs Boy will shoot for a hat-trick of wins from the barn, stepping up from Sunday racing to Friday night class, but not finding a huge jump in the quality of opposition.
“It’s not as strong as I thought it would be. John Morrison’s horse (Amass) should be pretty hard to beat, it’s been in some good fields, but I’ve got a horse who is full of confidence and right at the top of the game at the moment, so he’ll go well again.”
Last-start winner Amendment and maiden pacer Shadow Of The Moon, who Butt described as a quick maiden winner, also step out for the barn, while there’s a bit of excitement about getting back behind untapped trotting talent Wilma’s Boy for Paul Nairn too.
“He should be hard to beat again, Paul has done a master job with him.”
Butt sent the well-bred trotter to Nairn after a few frustrations at home and it’s been a winning formula so far with two impressive victories.
