Confidence high as Butcher prepares for Aussie mission

There’s an air of confidence throughout the Old Town Road camp as the emerging Kiwi star prepares to take his shot at a couple of Victoria’s big Group 1 feature races.

The lightly-raced five-year-old arrived from New Zealand last week to begin a two-start overseas campaign that will take in this Saturday night’s PETstock Ballarat Pacing Cup and February 4’s Del-Re National A. G. Hunter Cup.

The horse is being prepared out of part-owner Josh Dickie’s property in Toolern Vale, with his father and trainer John now also in the country.

Regular driver Zac Butcher flies out from New Zealand on Saturday and will head to Ballarat’s Bray Raceway expecting a good performance from the speedy son of Bettors Delight.

“It's exciting… he's a pretty good horse, so we're definitely confident coming over,” Butcher told TrotsLife host Toby McKinnon.

“We're going to need a little bit of luck from the (barrier eight) draw this week, but you just never know what can happen in those big races.”

Butcher, a six-time Group 1 winner here in Australia, rates Old Town Road as “one of the quickest” horses he’s driven.

“If they've run that first 2000m at a steady clip and they get going down the back, you just need things to open up for him. And if they open up, he showed at Ashburton he's got the speed to roll over the top of them,” Butcher said.

“But we are going to be on the fence more than likely, so he is going to need that ounce of luck.”

Old Town Road has won eight of 14 career starts, with his maiden success coming just over a year ago in a race at Alexandra Park.

His three appearances at Group level have been at his last three starts, with a runner-up placing in the Ashburton Flying Stakes in October followed by a sixth to Copy That in the New Zealand Cup and third to Self Assured in the NZ Pacing Free For All in November.

“His big task was over Cup week in November, and I think he handled himself really well. He didn't get a lot of luck Cup day, but went super Show day and was probably even better at Ashburton,” Butcher said.

“He's a horse on the rise, and from that trip away he's probably improved again.”

Old Town Road is one of two New Zealand-trained runners in the Ballarat Pacing Cup, with Ray Green’s Copy That drawing barrier five for the $150,000 Group 1 showdown.

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