Blue Riband winner “shouldn’t have won”

HIS name is now etched on the honour roll, but according to trainer Anthony Butt he had no right to win.

Producing a less than perfect, yet equally exhilarating, performance, Elite Stride captured the New South Wales Trotters’ Derby at Club Menangle tonight.

Naturally pleased the three-year-old extended his winning streak, Butt rates the win as “a lucky escape”.

“He shouldn’t have won but his class got him through,” Butt said. “In the end it was a lucky escape but he got there which is the main thing.

“He has been pretty good and I’ve been careful not to light him up as he can get too fired up like he did tonight.

“As I was taking him forward my wheel touched Jack Trainor’s and that got him over racing…he’s just got to learn what it’s all about and go when I want him not when he wants to.

“He’s got a lot of ability and just has to harness it which should come as he matures.”

With Elite Stride racing fiercely Butt had to allow the son of Muscle Hill to stride freely, which saw him race 40 metres ahead of the main body of the field.

Tiring during the latter stages the squaregaiter staved off a late charge from Dizzysjet to score by a metre-and-a-half, with the Trainor-driven Gimondi 10 metres away third.

Rating an age track record 1:57.9 over 2300 metres, Elite Stride stretched his record to seven wins and a second from eight starts.

“I had to let him stride out while also trying to hold him back a bit,” Butt said. “I didn’t want to hold him too hard and have him choke down.

“He’s run that middle half in 55.9 seconds and was starting to feel it up the straight.”

To be given a “couple of easy days” the colt will back-up in next week’s Foundation Final at the world class venue.