KEY POINTS:
Champion horseman Anthony Butt says it is time handicaps were abolished from New Zealand's biggest harness races.
Butt played his part in the performance of the season when Flashing Red smashed the national 3200m record winning the New Zealand Cup off a 15m handicap last November.
But he
says he doesn't want to see other horses forced to try and repeat that feat.
Butt - who drives in more major group one races than any other reinsman in Australasia - believes the days of horses being forced to start off handicaps in the best races should be over.
"It is too tough, even though Red managed to do it this season," said Butt. "He was a freak and had to pace 3:57 to do it. But why are our best races handicaps? They [open class events] are hard enough to win as they are."
Butt will be back at Alexandra Park on Friday night with potentially New Zealand's best trotter, Mountbatten, who will share a 10m handicap with many of his rivals in a $25,000 race.
But next week, in the $150,000 Rowe Cup, Mountbatten will be forced to start alone off 15m in a capacity field, even though he has only won only eight races and $213,801 in stakes. He will start 15m behind Our Sunny Whiz, who has won 17 races and more money.
The reason is horses only get handicapped in our major staying race - New Zealand Cup, Dominion Handicap or Rowe Cup - if they win a major pacing staying race worth $250,000 or a major trotting race worth $100,000.
Mountbatten, who started the season as a one-win horse, has won the Dominion Handicap and NZ Trotting Championship so gets a 10m handicap for the first victory and five metres for the second when he contests them for the next two seasons.
Which means he already faces the same handicap his former champion stablemate Lyell Creek would have at the height of his $3 million career.
"To get a handicap in the Rowe Cup for winning a $100,000 race doesn't make sense," said Butt.
"And if we want our best horses racing for longer here why handicap them at all in our best races?
"Surely the best horses should win the best races and people want to see them race all the time."
And don't believe Butt's reaction is simply frustration at Mountbatten's predicament. In November he is set to be the biggest winner from the handicapping rules. He will partner Australian super stayer Safari in the New Zealand Cup and the veteran will start off the front while an open class novice like Gotta Go Cullen faces a 10m handicap because he won last month's Auckland Cup.
"I know it swings both ways but really, should Gotta Go Cullen have to give Safari a start in any race?
"I won the New Zealand Cup two years ago with Flashing Red and Mainland Banner had to give us a 10m start and she hadn't won a race for eight months. I think the way modern racing is, with so many horses who can pace 4:0 for 3200m , the handicaps should be a thing of the past.
"I raised this at a Horseman's Association meeting five years ago and I am going to raise it again so the clubs look into it."
Gotta Go Cullen is an even better example of the anomaly in the handicapping system.
The winner of only one open class race - the Auckland Cup after a perfect trip - he faces giving Safari, Changeover, Monkey King, Interdominion runner-up Divisive and possibly Auckland Reactor a 10m start in the New Zealand Cup.
That sort of handicapping could be enough to drive the superstar to Australia where he can contest the Miracle Mile, Victoria Cup, Interdominion and World Cup of Pacing off level marks.
And in case you were wondering just how hard the New Zealand Cup really is on a horse? Three of the first four home this season - Flashing Red (1st), Tribute (3rd) and Changeover (4th) haven't won a race since.
BACK MARKS TOO TOUGH
* Anthony Butt says our biggest harness races should not be handicaps.
* The leading horseman says open class racing is tough enough without having to concede starts.
* He has been on both sides of the handicapping anomalies this season.
* Gotta Go Cullen looks the biggest loser under the present system.
