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FEATURE RACE COMMENT

 

YEAR: 2000

The Dominion winning combination
2000 COUPLAND'S BAKERIES DOMINION TROTTING HANDICAP

Tim Butt iced the cake that was his Cup meeting by winning four races at Addington on Dominion night. The West Melton trainer took out all three trots on the programme, including the Dominion Handicap, and the pacers' Free-For-All, bringing his total haul over the four days of racing to seven.

Contributing to Butt's best-ever showing at the meeting were Take A Moment (three wins), Lyell Creek, Happy Asset, Pocket Me and Eastnor Lad, but in years to come it will only be remembered as the time when Lyell Creek got beaten. That is why the great trotter (unjustly) had a point to prove on Friday.

The speed was on right from the word go in the Dominion, and big Lyell didn't start his move around the field until inside the mile, eventually taking the lead from McGrady with a lap to run. He was still coasting at the finish, taking out the coveted two-mile event on a cold night in a tick over 4:06. "There was a bit of apprehension beforehand, but, just like the week before, I couldn't fault him going into the race," Butt said. "And he won it easy, Ants didn't really let him go in case he did something stupid."

Having successfully defended his Dominion Handicap title, that could be the last Addington fans see of Lyell Creek. "He now heads to Auckland for a discretionary handicap on December 15, followed by a 2700m mobile Free-For-All a week later - which he'll probably draw one in," Butt quipped. "There's a mile even at Cambridge for him on January 3, then he heads off to Melbourne for the Dullard Cup and the Australasian Trotters' Championship. "Lyell needs racing every week now, he's getting smart and a bit above himself, so it will do him good," he said.

Credit: John Robinson writing in NZHR Weekly

 

YEAR: 2001

Take A Moment and Anthony Butt
2001 CLARKE BOYCE LAWYERS DOMINION TROTTING HANDICAP

A lap from home, Tim Butt didn't like it. His runner Take A Moment was halfway through a move around the field; Last Sunset had not spent a lot of gas in front and Mountain Gold looked even fresher in the trail. "I didn't think he had much chance," Butt said. "I could see he was going to have to sit parked over the last thousand metres. Outside two good horses that had done nothing, that probably would've been enough."

Then the unthinkable happened. Last Sunset galloped and came back onto Mountain Gold. Both horses chances were extinguished in the blink of an eye - not to mention others who were up handy but had to take evasive action; out wide and out of trouble, Take A Moment trotted around to the front and then made the race his by reeling off a last half of 57.8 seconds. "I think God had ten each way on Take A Moment tonight," said Butt in his usual jovial manner, still shaking his head at what had unfolded.

All joking aside, it was a magnificent effort by Tim and his brother Anthony to get Take A Moment ready for this big assignment. "A few people had written him off a bit, but I suppose that's understandable after his disappointing run on Show Day," Butt continued. "Still, he was the only one off ten metres tonight and people forget that. His coat was not good at all on Saturday after last week's run, so we just concentrated on keeping him fresh and well within himself. We gave him a bowl around the day before the Dominion and it was only then when I thought he was starting to come back. I still thought it was possibly a week to soon for him though."

Butt said it was a special feeling to win three Dominion Handicaps in a row. Looking through the list of big trotting races that he's won with Lyell Creek and Take A Moment you would almost think that pressure wouldn't play a part, but funnily enough it's the Dominion that has tested Butt the most. "When Lyell Creek won it two years ado he was still on his way up, and he was meeting Mountain Gold for the first time. Then the following season Lyell had been beaten on Show Day after galloping, so the pressure was on to fix that. And this year we were playing catch up with Take A Moment. You can never take these big races for granted," he said.

Amazingly, Take A Moment has won an Inter-Dominion Grand Final and a Dominion Handicap, and has only had 25 starts. "He's still a year away from being able to handle the tough runs against the gun horses week in and week out. He's not thriving on it yet, but he's got the potential to in another twelve months time."


Credit: John Robinson writing in NZHR Weekly

 

YEAR: 2002

2002 BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT TRUST NZ TROTTING FREE-FOR-ALL

After a so-so innings on Cup Day, Butt Brothers Inc. were back in business at Addington on Show Day.

Take A Moment surprised no-one with a typical tradesman like effort to win the Bone Marrow Transplant Trust NZ Trotting Free-For-All from Frugal Echo.

The Butts have always thought Take A Moment would have a season when he dominates, and there is every sign that he is about to do this. "He's at the peak of his career, and it was really effortless, what he did today," Tim said.

He has a busy time ahead, with Friday's Dominion followed by a trip to Moonee Valley for the Bill Collins Mile on December 7, the $100,000 Grand Prix a week later, back for the Auckland carnival and possibly a mile at Cambridge in early January. Then, a week or so to freshen and then prepare for the Inter-Dominions at Addington.

Credit: Mike Grainger writin in HRWeekly 20Nov02

 

YEAR: 2002

The post race presentation
2002 WILSON'S TAB & SPORTS BAR DOMINION TROTTING HANDICAP

Two perfect preparations. Two super racenight performances. In the end, two fairytale endings emerged from last Friday night's $100,000 Wilson's TAB & Sports Bar Dominion Handicap.

For the second time in the Group 1 events 91-year history, two great trotters crossed the finish line locked together, inseparable. Hot favourite Take A Moment and up-and-coming star Martina H shared this year's honours, mirroring the result of 1944's Dominion when Lady Scot and Will Cary deadheated.

Both Take A Moment and Martina H charged into the race with purpose rounding the final bend; the former sat back after starting off a 10 metre handicap and made one run at them, the latter followed him around the last corner having been handier earlier in the race before getting shuffled back. Martina H's co-trainer/ driver Derek Balle didn't have much hope of anything better than second at this stage. "But then she really started to flatten out half-way down the straight," he said, proud as punch with what his Sundon mare had achieved. "This time next year we might run past him."

Events like the Dominion and next March's Inter-Dominions had been more or less earmarked for Martina H for quite some time, all she had to do was prove she was ready. Balle says the mare's ability to pass her first open class assignment with flying colours was due mainly to the time she spent "learning the ropes" amongst the middle-graders in Auckland. Now five, Martina H proved she was ready alright. And the most exciting part is that Balle and training partner Steve Clarke both believe the best is yet to come from her. "She's still six months away from that," Clarke said.

Training the winner of a Dominion Handicap at Addington is a far cry from being Store Manager at a McDonalds restaurant in Auckland, but that is exactly where Clarke has come from. And you could not drag him back there now. "McDonalds was good, but it was getting monotonous; I'd been there since before I left school," he recalled. Clarke got to know Balle when he had a horse in his stable six years ago. Stylish Soky was "a rabbit" that never turned out any good, but nevertheless the pacer sparked Clarke's interest enough that he soon left his McDonalds outlet to start working for Balle. A couple of years later Clarke went to America for four seasons, getting jobs with the likes of New Jersey trainers Ross Croghan and Mark Harder for a couple of years apiece. He says it was invaluable experience, and taught him a lot. "Sure, they only have mile racing, but over there they are really big on keeping their horses on the fresh side. Derek never worked his horses too hard anyway, but I know we do not work them as hard as we used to." Clarke liked America so much that not so long ago he was even thinking about moving back there for another stint. He's pretty glad he didn't. "Yep, you can't beat that," the 25-year-old said, referring to winning such a big event in his first year as a trainer.

Gracious in sharing Dominion Handicap glory was Take A Moment's trainer Tim Butt, who had nothing but praise for both horses after the event. "That was a great run from the mare," he said. Deadheating is just the same as winning - it doesn't take any gloss off it, put it that way. I actually had a look at the photo finish print. The judge, Ernie Fuchs, says that on a bright sunny day they can get it down to one/two-thousandth of a second; tonight they got it down to one/thirteen-hundredth - and the horses were still even at that."

Overlooked in the drama that surrounded the deadheat was the fact that Butt has now trained the winners of the last four Dominion Handicaps - Lyell Creek twice and Take A Moment twice - which is a sensational feat.

Because of his lead-up form, Take A Moment was sent out the shortest-priced favourite in the event's history. Butt never expected his trotter to dominate like he had earlier in the carnival though. "It's always a bit harder when you start off a ten-metre handicap, or fifteen metres like he did in last year's Rowe Cup, because once you settle you are forty metres from the leader. And he was working the whole race, so it was a pretty good effort under the circumstances. Take A Moment's win on Show Day was undoubtedly the best run of his career. But that is his pet distance, and the mobile suits him because they go harder early. In the Dominion, the leaders ran their first mile in 2:09, and when they only do that it brings the whole field into it."

Take A Moment is now in Auckland, awaiting a flight across the Tasman to contest the Bill Collins Mile, Grand Prix (formerly called the Dullard Cup) and National Trot.

Martina H's connections are still tossing up between the Auckland carnival and Melbourne, but if not before the two great trotters will meet again in next year's Inter-Dominions in Christchurch.


Credit: John Robinson writing in the NZHR Weekly

 

YEAR: 2003

2003 THUNDER DOWN UNDER INTER-DOMINION TROTTERS GRAND FINAL

Take A Moment's owners are starting to think that they need a different spot to watch his races from at Addington. Up until now the eight-member Long Drive Syndicate have always gathered on the first floor of the main stand, outside the Lindores level. But that location is past the winning post, and with Take A Moment's last two big events at the track being mighty close finishes, they have had an excruciating wait before knowing that they can make their way to the birdcage and start celebrating.

They were caught out in the Dominion Handicap last November, thinking their horse had won when in fact he had deadheated with Martina H. And last Friday night they occupied seats in the same place again, waiting anxiously like everyone for the running of the $200,000 Thunder Down Under Inter-Dominion Trotters Grand Final. Regardless of where any-body perched last Friday, no one was in their seat for long, because the event was one of the greatest trotting spectacles ever witnessed at Addington.

It had everything...predictable early moves from the handily-drawn speedsters who jostled for positions; an unchanged order until the last mile; a three-wide line that moved up soon after but then didn't go anywhere; the favourite sitting second last with arguably his biggest danger breathing down the back of Anthony Butt's neck; lightning displays of speed from the attackers as they swooped starting the last 700 metres; a field bunched in threes, fours and fives as the horses swung for home, and a magnificent finish that brought the crowd to their feet.

In the final analysis, Take A Moment had done what champions do, and won. "Unbelievable," said the syndicate's manager Bruce Greenhalgh, describing the occasion. "I honestly wasn't too worried when Take A Moment was still at the back with a lap to go, but I started to get a bit nervy when he wasn't getting dragged into it. We were on the edge of our seats."

Apart from a host of other top trotting victories, Take A Moment has now captured two Inter-Dominion Grand Finals, re-claiming the crown that he won brilliantly in Brisbane this time two years ago. But Greenhalgh says the feelings surrounding the two Finals were completely different. "When we won in Brisbane we had only owned him for six months, and it was almost unexpected. This year there was very much more expectation, with him being such a hot favourite, and that put a real edge on it. It was the first time the whole syndicate has been there for a big race too. Obviously the two Dominion Handicaps that Take A Moment has won at Addington were fantastic, but to win an Inter-Dominion Final to home...well, it is really special."

Greenhalgh considers himself very lucky to have his name amongst the ownership at all. "I was one of the last on the scene," he recalled. "Merv Rodgers and I were on a golfing trip in Queensland three years ago, and we were sitting down having a beer after our round one day when Merv mentioned that there was a share in this trotter available. "They had already sold seventy percent of him at that stage. I knew of the horse, and had seen him win some of his earlier races, so I thought...bugger it, why not?" Greenhalgh ran the idea past his wife Allison on returning home, and it wasn't long before he had the 'okay' and was on the phone to Rodger to confirm his interest.

Take A Moment had won four of his six starts for original trainer Paul Corkran at that stage, and since Tim Butt scouted him for $120,000 the record stands at 45 starts for 26 wins, nine seconds and a third, an stakes of $823,837. "Early on, Take A Moment lived very much in the shadow of Lyell Creek," Greenhalgh noted. "To think that he is only coming to the end of his third season but he has already won thirty races, it's really quite amazing. It is like he has snuck up on everybody. I think he has now justified his place amongst the best trotters that this country has produced though."

Take A Moment proved with last week's victory that he is indeed the best around, and he can win his races from anywhere. He stands head and shoulders above a crop of elite trotters which, in all fairness and apart from one or two exceptions, is probably on the way out more than on the way up. And perhaps one of the few horses who looks capable of lowering his colours in the next season or two is Sonofthedon, who comes from the very same stable. "I know Tim's got a huge opinion of him, and you only had to watch the way he won in Auckland the last time he was up there to see why. He could be the best trotter we have ever seen.

Despite being named the Long Drive Syndicate, Greenhalgh and Rodgers are the only two golfers amongst the eight members, and O'Donnell's choice of the name has nothing to do with the sport. Greenhalgh is an ex-Aucklander who moved to Christchurch a decade ago and manages the Smith's Spots Shoe store; Rodgers is the "semi-retired" owner of the Edgeware Civic Video outlet in Christchurch, and occupies his time with "golf, bowls and races"; Jack O'Donnell also classes himself as semi-retired, owning a block of land in Rolleston where he runs a few horses; Take A Moment is the first horse ever owned by Peter Barber, originally from Invercargill and now living in Queenstown where 18 months ago he bought the first franchise offered by the Country Road clothing store chain; Neven Botica is well-known and respected for his business acumen in Perth, not to mention his investment in this country's harness racing industry; Julie King-Turner runs a fishing business together with her husband Des in Te Anau; Tom Malcolm has painter/ decorating businesses in Invercargill and Wanaka, and moved to the latter area just last week; and Trevor Woolley oversees the installation and administration of gaming machines in and around Christchurch.

"We all met for the first time at that first Cup Meeting when Take A Moment won on Cup Day, Show Day and the last night," Greenhalgh recalled. "They are a fantastic bunch of people. Don't know how I ended up with the job of manager though; maybe it was because I was the new boy on the block. It's a real pain in the arse," he quipped, "but at least with a horse like Take A Moment you don't have any trouble getting money when the bills come in."

Greenhalgh says it is "much easier" to buy horses now. He also had a a share in Franco Solo, who won five races here in the mid 1990s before being sold overseas; he owns part of Tendulkar (three wins), who is on the market and possibly heading in the same direction; and he is involved in another syndicate that races Happy Asset's half-sister Smooth Asset, who has gone to stud after remaining winless and is in foal to Christian Cullen. Minus Rodgers and Botica, the Long Drive Syndicate members' latest excursion is a Sundon colt out of Take A Moment's dam Nakura, who is a big, strong looking colt" that is being weaned and handled by Murray Butt. His career is obviously a good few seasons away yet.

In the meantime, the syndicate will continue to ride the crest of the wave with their champion, Take A Moment. "I can't say enough about the respect, admiration and thanks we owe Tim and Anthony, and the rest of the team at their stable. It has been a real joyride, and everybody is just absolutely loving it. You dream about being involved with horses like this."

Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 16Apr03

 

YEAR: 2003

Take A Moment ...easily
2003 NUGGETS BAR & CASINO NZ TROTTING FREE-FOR-ALL

Tim Butt hoped that history wouldn't repeat itself at Addington on Show Day.

The West Melton trainer has totally dominated the top trotting events in recent years, thanks to the deeds of firstly Lyell Creek and now Take A Moment, but last week was one occasion when he wished for a different result. Because it was on this day three years ago that the unthinkable happened...Lyell Creek got beaten. Shooting for his 21st consecutive victory at the time, Lyell Creek drew 'the ace' in the Trotting Free-For-All, was crossed at the start, and spent the entire 2600 metres of the event looking anything but comfortable as he chewed steel and wanted to run faster. When finally getting space in the home straight he took too long to wind up, crossing the line in second place and later being relegated to third for breaking short of the post.

Not that Butt wanted to look for them, but there were some ominous signs leading into this year's $50,000 Nuggets Bar & Casino NZ Trotting Free-For-All also...Take A Monent drew the same marble, he is not known for possessing blinding gate speed, and he too was looking to add another 'post' to his picket-fence formline.

And after the mobile pulled away the deja vu continued, with Take A Moment getting beaten to the lead by firstly Frugal Echo and then Superstaragogo, but that is where any similarities to Lyell Creek's performance of three years earlier started and finished. His pilot Anthony Butt was well prepared, and had the champ off the fence before a furlong had passed, tagging onto the back of Young Pointer and then pressing forward to lead starting the last mile.

From there the opposition were never going to beat Take A Moment, and he jogged home to win by five lengths and take his winning streak to 16. "We tried something a bit different today," said the Armbro Invasion gelding's trainer afterwards. "We put the pull-up half blinds on him, to see if it would help him develop a bit of gate speed. We have used them before, off and on, and in Aussie quite a bit. But we might not be able to use them again because the stipes were telling me after the race that they are too hard to police. Butt said that he couldn't ask for much more than his trotter showed last week, and he is very happy leading into the Dominion Handicap when Take A Moment will be trying to win the coveted event for the third consecutive time.

Credit: John Robinson writing in HRWeekly 19Nov03

 

YEAR: 2003

Meredith Wilson presents the trophy to Bruce Greenhalgh
2003 SOUTHERN TRUST DOMINION TROTTING HANDICAP

Using his relentless, grinding power, Take A Moment became the first horse to win three successive Dominion Handicaps. He won the Southern Trust sponsored edition with ease from the vastly under-rated Last Link, and the hugely inexperienced Allegro Agitato who was racing in this grade for the first time.

In this win, his 17th in succession, he set an entires and geldings record for trotters over 3200m of 4:05.5, which was .2sec inside that held by Call Me Now. He also topped $1 million in stakes, joining his stablemate Lyell Creek in that league.

The great horse is raced by the Long Drive Syndicate, managed by Bruce Greenhalgh who said at the presentation: "We are so proud of him. He is a fantastic horse to watch. We love to hear a good horse clapped back to the enclosure. To crack a million is an absolute miracle, and so is Tim's feat to train five Dominion winners in a row and Anthony to drive them. To be honest, Tim could win the race again next year."

While Anthony had a night to remember, with three successive wins, Tim Butt's carnival did not spark until the final night and it needed Take A Moment to save it. The first casualty was the promising young trotter Genius, who missed the meeting with a deep-seated stone bruise and won't race again until the autumn. Lyell Creek's resumption was put on hold while he continued to adjust to southern hemispgere conditions, and Pocket Me was retired after almost pulling off the Junior Free-For-All on Cup Day. "He was fine until a week before the race, then got a bit sore when the pressure went on," said Tim. Then Thedonsson had a minor problem and failed to get a start last week after two unplaced runs over Cup Week.

He was in safe hands relying on Take A Moment to carry
the flag - a bit like England depending on Jonny Wilkinson to kick them out of a tight spot. It never got to that. Once Take A Moment began well and slid through the field to sit for a time in the middle of the pack, the signs were always ominous. Anthony got him cracking and into the lead after passing the 1600m, and he didn't see much of the others from then on. Tim says Take A Moment has never had a sick day, and even now is stronger than he was last season. "I always thought that would happen. With that French blood, it is a late developing breed," he said.

Soon, they will be on the road again. On December 1, Butt will fly to Australia with Take A Moment, new stablemate Mister D G, Strange Town and All Talk. Mister D G will race in the Cranbourne Cup on December 8. He will be a force to reckon with, even in the best company, going by his outstanding run to worry Young Rufus out of first in the main free-for-all last Friday night. After racing at Auckland over Christmas, Take A Moment will head to Europe for a race in Germany in mid-April, Naples on May 2, then the Elitlopp. All up, Take A Moment will be away for three and a half months. Butt thinks the ability to acclimatise is crucial, and with that in mind he is booked to leave for his Italian base in early March. "The good thing with Take A Moment is that he doesn't need the work that Lyell needed. He can miss a couple of days without it affecting him - a couple of runs and he's back to where he was," he said. "The syndicate got together over lunch on Saturday to go over it all. They're looking forward to what should be a trip of a lifetime," he said.

The smooth highway of success for Take A Moment and the retirement of Sundowner Bay made Butt recall a game of golf he played some years ago, when the talk turned to buying a horse for the Inter-Dominions. Lyell Creek was only C2 at the time, so we tried to buy Sundowner Bay but they weren't interested," he said. Much later, they bought a son of Armbro Invasion who packed a long drive and sunk huge putts.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in NZHR Weekly



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