Under The Radar: three to follow from Michael Butler

Last Friday week, the horseboxes left Michael Butler’s yard in Piltown in County Kilkenny and went in different directions: Rion Rubette and Bobby Kirova to Gowran Park, Wipeawayyourtears to Fairyhouse. 

Michael Butler would rarely have three runners on a day, not to mind runners at two different meetings.

Michael himself, assistant trainer to his dad, went to Gowran. Rion Rubette was going there in good form.  She had been to Gowran Park six weeks earlier, when she had got up to beat Greydreambeliever by a half a length. She was meeting that filly on 3lb worse terms, but Michael felt that they were going there with a real chance again.

“The handicapper was fair enough with her,” he says now. “We knew that she was in good form, that she was fresh and well in herself and we thought that she had improved from her previous run.”

And just as he had done in April, Paddy Harnett settled the New Bay filly back in the field early on in her race.  Sixth of the eight runners as they raced across the top of the track towards the home turn, she moved up nicely among horses early in the home straight. Asked for her effort at the two-furlong marker, she stayed on strongly from there and through the final furlong to just get up and beat her old rival by a short head.

“At different stages, I thought we were beaten,” says Michael. “I thought that we might finish a good second.  But then, when she got rolling through the final furlong, I knew that she was going to go close and, when they went past the line, I knew that she was up. It was great to win it. It’s nice to come out on the right side of a close one like that.”

Rion Rubette was picked up by Michael himself and Dave Harding, one of the members of the Bredwinner Syndicate, who own her, for just €4,000 at the autumn yearling sale at Goffs in November 2023.  She was a little bit timid, he tells you. But he liked her, he saw her potential, and you can’t go too far wrong when you are buying a New Bay filly for €4,000.

She belied her price tag and her SP of 100/1 too on her racecourse debut, when she finished second, beaten just a half a length, in a maiden at Navan in July 2024. It took her a while to win but, when she did, at Limerick in June last year, she did so emphatically, by an ever-extending eight lengths.

“She got a fair hike from the handicapper for that win,” recalls Michael.  “It’s hard to progress again with a hike of 18lb.  But she wintered well, we kept her here.  She got stronger.  She was always a little bit light, and she was a little bit timid, but she’s progressing nicely now.”

Next up for the New Bay filly is the Premier Summer Fillies’ Handicap at The Curragh this Saturday, a race that has been on connections’ mind for a little while.“When she won in April at Gowran, we thought that we’d go back to Gowran for that race two weeks ago, and that, if all went well there, we’d go to The Curragh. Those two races were coming up quite quickly together, so we decided not to run her again between the two Gowran races. Look, it’s obviously a valuable handicap on Saturday, it’s going to be competitive, but she deserves her place in it, and it’s great to be going to The Curragh on Irish Derby weekend with a chance.”

Three hours after Rion Rubette won at Gowran, Wipeawayyourtears lined up in the 12-furlong handicap at Fairyhouse. Michael looked on from his phone in the parade ring at Gowran as his filly was driven to the front by Gavin Ryan on the run to the furlong marker, before staying on strongly to win by a length and a half.

“That was great.  She had a nice weight concession from the older horses, but she did it well.  She obviously appreciated the drop into a 0-60 handicap. She has gone up to a mark of 59 now, so she still qualifies for 0-60 races.  There’s one at Bellewstown on Friday and there’s another one at Naas on Saturday, so she could go for one of them. She could improve again. Her dam won over six furlongs, but she stays a mile and a half well.”

She is a member of a nice small group of horses that the Butlers have assembled at Pilltown. Rion Rubette and Wipeawayyourtears are obviously in great form now, and Venerini is a filly to look for later in the season.  And they have a Churchill colt coming up at the breeze-up sale at Goffs on Saturday, a half-brother to Fillies’ Mile fourth Marsh Hawk out of the Royal Applause mare Asaawir, a dual winner over six furlongs.

“He’ll be a lovely horse going forward,” says Michael.  “We’d love to keep him in the yard if we had an owner for him.”

Michael Butler rode over 70 winners as a jockey. He rode Satu to finish third behind the Philip Hobbs-trained Snap Tie in a good handicap hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in 2012, and, three weeks later, he rode Eoin Doyle’s horse again in the big Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle at Killarney’s May meeting, getting him home by a head.  

“I’ve probably always been involved in the training side of it,” says Michael.  “Even from a young age.  With my father here.  He’s a good age now, he’s one of the oldest trainers with a licence in Ireland, but he’s doing great.  The Curragh is one of the only racecourses in Ireland at which he hasn’t had at least one winner.”

That box could be ticked this weekend. 

We were obviously delighted with her win at Gowran last week.  She’s in great form, and we’re looking forward to running her at The Curragh on Saturday.  She had a little blow this morning.  She wouldn't want really quick ground, just like she wouldn't want really heavy ground, but they do a great job with the ground at The Curragh and, as long as it is safe, that should be fine for her.  

She was good in winning at Fairyhouse last time, she stayed on well.  A 5lb hike for that takes her up to a mark of 59, and that is a workable mark.  She’s lightly raced, she has raced just six times, and we hope that she can improve again.

We gave her a little break after her two runs earlier in the season, but she’s back cantering now.  She’s in good form, and she’s one to keep in mind for the back end of the season.