A quick back-up could be on the cards for talented stayer Irish Butterfly, who landed the seventh victory of his career when leading throughout in the Dexion Victoria Handicap (2400m) at Sandown on Saturday.
The Henry Dwyer-trained son of O’Reilly was challenged mid-race by former Kiwi Milford Sound but skipped clear of his rivals soon after straightening to race away to win by just over four lengths from Mimi’s Award and Sing For Peace.
Dwyer is now considering a tilt at Thursday’s Listed Warrnambool Cup (2350m) with the patiently handled gelding nominated for the $300,000 feature.
“I was never planning on running in both races, but he did it pretty easily today,” the Ballarat horseman said.
“If he had had a hard run, and he normally feels his racing a bit, but given he did it so softly we might have to reconsider and accept there, we’ll see.
“He has always been a horse that has loved a bit of give in the ground, more so soundness-wise. He is a seven-year-old now and he has had 35 starts and that is his seventh win, but I thought he would have won seven races by the time he was four given the way he was going as a three-year-old.
“He had injury after setback after injury, and it is only now that he is doing what we thought he would be doing then.
“Celine (Gaudray, jockey) has really clicked with him at his last two starts. She rates him well and he is just going super.”
Dwyer said he will assess the horse’s appetite and brightness early in the week before making a decision on a Thursday back-up.
Two-kilo claimer Celine Gaudray was always confident Irish Butterfly was going to be the winner.
“There wasn’t much speed on paper, so I was happy to take the lead up. He is a lovely free-flowing horse and I just kept him balanced and let him go through his gears nicely,” she said.
“He was really, really strong through the line and Henry had him very fit. I was really confident he could win today.”
Irish Butterfly, who sports the colours of prominent owner Rupert Legh, was a $220,000 yearling purchase at Karaka by Dwyer from the draft of Pencarrow Stud.
By outstanding sire O’Reilly, Irish Butterfly is out of the stakes winning Redoute’s Choice mare Papilio, who in turn is out of Lafleur, a Group Two winning daughter of Zabeel.
