Bet N Win's rise to the top - "it's pretty incredible"
By Michael Guerin
Driver Bob Butt says the most exciting part of Bet N Win’s rapid rise to the top of New Zealand trotting is that he hasn’t reached his ceiling yet.
Whether that ceiling goes all the way up to Just Believe's level, Butt isn’t quite sure.
The most exciting trotter in the country smashed his rivals in the $40,000 What The Hill Flying Sprint at Ashburton on Monday, leading throughout in a 1:56.3 mile rate for the 1700m.
He was aided by Oscar Bonavena skipping at the start and not really being a winning chance afterwards but Oscar would have needed to be very, very good to beat Bet N Win here. Or maybe ever again.
The David and Stacey White-trained four-year-old is shaping up as our best trotter months before that title looked likely to be in his grasp, with the next stop being the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion in two weeks.
“He just keeps getting better,” says Butt.
“Every time we ask him to take another step up he does and I don’t think he has finished that.
“When you think how few starts he has had and what he has done its pretty incredible.”
Now comes a giant leap forward in taking on Australian champion Just Believe in the Dominion and Butt knows this is a totally different ballgame.
“Just Believe is a champion and this horse isn’t one yet so we have to rise to his level.
“Can we do that? I am more hopeful than confident.”
What should enthuse the Whites, Butt and Bet N Win’s owners is the fact Just Believe can’t race on forever so even if he is too good for them during Cup week, he must start dropping off at some stage while Bet N Win should only keep getting better.
And in reality with the only two legitimate other open class stars we have left in Muscle Mountain and Oscar Bonavena often seeming to have this issue or that, Bet N Win should become New Zealand’s best trotter before long, if in fact he is not there already.
Butt also trained and drove Princess Meritaten to win the Ladies Sprint at Group 2 level and after she showed gate speed and then trailed she followed the most popular pattern of the day to rate 1:53.4 for the 1700m.
“That was really good from her and she is a lovely mare,” says Butt.
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