By MICHAEL GUERIN
Anthony Butt loves everything about Scandinavia - except the barrier draws.
The Canterbury horseman was shaking his head again this week after Lyell Creek was again handed an impossible draw for Monday's Copenhagen Cup.
New Zealand's champion trotter has drawn barrier seven in the 2011m mobile, which was
always going to make things difficult around the 900m track.
But to make matters worse Sweden's leading trotter Victory Tilly has drawn barrier three from where he looks a certain leader.
"You couldn't believe we could draw the eight in our heat of the Elitlopp against Victory Tilly and then seven against him this week," said Butt.
"From there we will need a miracle to beat him because he is going to go straight to the front and dictate the race and I am going to struggle to get close enough to put pressure on him.
"It is not like back home where you can just keep pressing on and park outside the leader because these are some the best trotters in the world and you have to treat them with the respect they deserve."
Lyell Creek travelled to Denmark on Wednesday and Butt says the millionaire trotter is holding his form well.
"But we would love to have some luck with the draws.
"If we got a good draw then he wouldn't have to work so hard to get handy and he could try and impose himself a bit more. As it is we are always playing catch up."
Even after being in Scandinavia for a month Butt is still stunned by the enormity of trotting in the region.
"We saw it firstly in Norway and then the Elitlopp in Sweden, which was just awesome. But even in Copenhagen the trotting is huge and I am looking forward to Sunday.
"Even though we have had a lot of bad luck it has been a wonderful experience because the people here really understand their trotters.
"Hopefully we can come back here next season when Lyell has been racing in the States for a while and he will be more used to this style of racing."
The Copenhagen Cup will be Lyell Creek's last race in Scandinavia before he flies to the United States next week.
"He will have a few weeks away from the track when he gets there but there are a lot of great races in the States for him," said Butt.
"I am looking forward to showing people up there how good he is, especially as the bigger tracks should suit him."
