One of harness racing’s greatest reinsmen is returning home to where it all began.
Anthony Butt has revealed plans to move back to native New Zealand following the Summer of Glory carnival, which comes to an end at Melton with the AG Hunter Cup and Great Southern Star on February 14.
Butt told thetrots.com.au his decision to relocate with partner Sonya Smith was due to a mix of work and family reasons, which had been accelerated by a recent job offer at Stonewall Stud.
The 59-year-old will work full-time for the powerhouse racing stable, where he will be the number two driver behind Tim Williams.
“It’s mainly a family thing – we’ve got two young granddaughters in New Zealand,” Butt said. “We want to spend time with them, and my Mum is still going well.
“It’s something we’d been thinking about for a few months, but I got this job offer in the last couple of weeks that really got us moving.
“We’re going to miss it a lot. We love living in Victoria and Australia in general. We’ve made lifelong friends, and I’ve been lucky enough to drive for so many great stables and owners over the years.”
While he’d been back and forth from New Zealand winning big race after big race, Butt flourished after making the move to Victoria full-time in 2014. He has driven hundreds of winners since, headlined by a standout 118-victory season in 2016-17.
With more than 2500 triumphs to his name in a glittering career across two countries, Butt has added 43 Group 1s since calling Victoria home. He has also prepared 10 at the elite level in a training partnership with Smith.
Butt says the Miracle Mile success with My Field Marshal in 2018 sits as the highlight from his time living in Australia.
“It’s a great race and I hadn’t won it before,” Butt said. “I’d been beaten a nose the year before with Smolda, which was pretty devastating. And especially with the time he went, which is still a record,” he said.
“That’s probably the highlight, but there’s been so many.
“I’ve enjoyed driving so many great Kiwi horses when they have come over for people like Phil Williamson, Mark and Nathan Purdon, Cran and Chrissie Dalgety, Ray Green and many others.
“It was the best move I ever made at the time and it’s been amazing. I’ve basically driven for all the best trainers around Australia and won big races everywhere.”
While Butt leaves a big hole in the driving ranks, he will also be missed off the track in his role as president of the Victorian Trainers and Drivers Association, which he has held since 2023.
“There were some ups and downs over that period, but I really enjoyed learning a lot about the ins and outs of the industry which a lot of participants don’t get to experience,” Butt said.
“I really enjoyed working with (HRV CEO) Matt Isaacs because we both came in at roughly the same time.
“It’s a bit of a thankless job, but we’ve always tried to improve the industry instead of self-interest.”
