What Bart Cummings is to the Melbourne Cup, Anthony Butt is to the A.G. Hunter Cup—a true champion with a record seven victories spanning over 30 years.
The Kiwi reinsman sits in clear air at the top of the honour roll with not even the late-great Vin Knight coming close with two successes.
The 58-year-old won his first in ’94 with Blossom Lady who also gifted Butt his second the very next year.
“I won most when I was based in New Zealand and it was always a really good race for the New Zealand horses,” Butt said.
“You could come through the New Zealand Cup in the spring and get them use to the standing starts and it always suited the New Zealand horses really well.”
The current distance of 2760m is a much shorter distance then Butt’s first win in 1994 over 3280m.
“It is a long-distance race they need to have a good foundation before they get here it’s not like a sprint race,” he said.
“It is one of the three bigger races in Australia with the Miracle Mile and the Inter Dominion with great horses winning even before my time.
“I always found the big races are the easiest to drive in and all the form is easily exposed – you know the horses and the strengths and weakness and you know how things are going to pan out.
“It’s easier to drive in maybe over a maiden race in the bush.”
The Harkness horseman’s last win came over a decade ago in 2013 with Mah Sish, but the winner of over 60 Group 1’s puts his maiden Hunter Cup at the top.
“The first one with Blossom Lady because I was pretty young and I brought her for my grandfather who was training her,” he said. “That was my first big win in Australia, but they have all been good and they all been different with different story lines.
“Mister D G (2004) was also great because he was the son of Blossom Lady with the same group of owners.
“Mr Feelgood (2009) was also great because he had just come over from the U.S.A.”
The honour that comes with being a seven-time champion is not lost on the 58-year-old.
“When you start driving you wish you could win any of those big races,” he said. “As a kid growing all the best Kiwis would race all the best Aussies.”
Butt will chase his eighth Sportsbet Victoria Cup on February 1 at Melton Entertainment Park with a couple of contenders from across the ditch.
The reinsman will drive Kiwi-trained Tact Mcleod in the Group 1 event with fellow countryman and winner of the Auckland Cup, Republican Party also staying on Butt’s property.
“They are both looking really good,” he said.
“Republican Party has been on a tear recently winning the Auckland Cup in New Zealand and he has taken that next step to that next level and he has been great.
“He has been here a week we worked him this morning and he went terrific.
“Tact Mcleod had a really good run first-up and has been a few minor issues since he got here, but he seems really good now – so I think he is going to be at his peak.”