Veteran horseman Robin Butt was rival than than the cheerleader for the success of the various Purdon stables over the years, given his own family’s long tradition of success, but he has a role in the emergence of two of the currently promising two year olds in Nathan’s care, Jiliby Jellybean and Beware the Storm.
Robin trained and co-owned the fourth dam of both and they were two mares who made an impact both on the track and at stud.
The best performed,Lady El, to whom Jiliby Jellybean traces, was something of a fairy tale in her racing days and though at times erratic nevertheless a potent performer even when mares had to take on “the boys” on equal terms.
She also created a boom for the “Moose” breed of Nelson Dalzell, the lock forward who was a veteran of many great Canterbury and All Black matches in a golden era of the 1950’s locking scrums with Bob Duff who would later become the president of the Canterbury Park Trotting Club. Nelson, a long time farmer from Culverden ,turned his hand to breeding after his rugby retirement and struck immediate success.
He owned a well -bred Fallacy filly,Moose,with Jim Donnithorne and from the stable of Leicester Frost at New Brighton she won her two year old debut in the Rangiora Raceway Stakes,beating several later high class pacers at good odds,in December 1959.
Then followed a long run of outs it must be said before Nelson himself produced her to win a double at the Ashburton two day winter meeting two and a half years later ,both times as favourite and with Maurice Holmes in the bike.
The mare loved quick backups. Her other wins were at the then Labour Weekend feature two day Oamaru Hannon Memorial meeting also two days apart.
She only left two named foals, a Lordship filly Lady Moose,unraced,and the well performed Golden Moose who won six when 10 wins was Cup class.
Caroline and Braeden Whitelock. Carried on the Moose tradition
Lady Moose left the well-performed Lord Moose, her first foal, and her sixth,Diamond Moose, was a top liner specialising in the Kaikoura Cup but up to the best,posting seconds in the Easter Cup and Firestone Free for All on NZ Cup Day.Nelson trained him also, though Robin Butt also handled him along the way and his late brother Murray was usually the driver.
Lady El was the last foal from Lady Moose who later slipped a foal to Golden Moose in what may have been an accidental mating.She was left alone for a long time considering the pedigree potential,perhaps because of a suspect temperament. Her sire El Patron was generally credited with siring horses of sound temperament where Lady El was, well, headstrong.
She was leased to Robin and Peter Andrews and when first appearing in public showed terrific speed but a somewhat wayward method of displaying it-a tribute to the Butt skills given her later career.
She failed on debut,won at Motukarara (December 1983) five days later; won her next start for David Butt (Junior drivers) by 14 lengths and then won by 5 lengths at Forbury after being five lengths off the second row at the gate at the start.
The storm attack continued.She beat stablemate Robin’s Star by 5 lengths at Addington in February and at her next start won the Pan Am Consolation (no problem with numbers at the mile starting point in those days!) in 1.58.4 against open class horses. She had been broken in for only nine months before that night and it was just her ninth start.The Pan Am Mile winner,Norton,clocked 1.58, so it was a showcase for the speed Lady El possessed
Robin Butt was about at the peak of his training career in this era from the plush establishment he developed at West Melton.Locarno had been his superstar Miracle Mile winner a few years earlier. Kanturk beat Roydon Glen in the Celebrity Stakes for three year olds in the Lady El era and Camelot would win the 1984 New Zealand Cup. There were several other stars such as Agrinion, like Kanturk raced by Bruce Francis and his father Ernie, plus Robin’s breeding interests, but for sheer speed Lady El was right up there.She went to Australia for the 1985 Inter Dominion (as Our Lady El) gaining heat and Consolation placings in a Kiwi pacing whitewash not dissimilar to the present time, Preux Chevalier being the hero of the series.
Robin Butt in the golden Lady El era with Camelot after winning the New Zealand Cup of 1984
After Nelson passed Lady El was bred from by Nelson Dalzell’s daughters Joanne Higginson, based in the Central North Island,and Caroline Whitelock also on the move north to Linton, and later by Joanne on her own. The offspring were fairly performed the most influential being Magic Moose (Holmes Hanover) bred by Caroline and husband Braeden, who in turn left them Minnie Moose, a smart performer on both sides of the Tasman with eight wins for the Whitelocks who had become associated with the Mark Purdon stable at that time.They have had many successes from Purdon barns since some from the “Moose” family.
Her first foal, Funatthbeach, a good winner for Neil Pilcher,Trevor Casey and Paul Hailes (Invercargill Cup) is about the star of the family taking a sub 1.50 mark overseas before that happened everyday, and topped $US1m taking out a leg of the the Bogota Series at Yonkers Raceway where he was a noted late closer in high speed races.Her third foal, the unraced Claire Bear (Somebeachsomewhere), dam of Jiliby Jellybean, is owned by Andrew Grierson of Woodlands Stud.She left a 1.54 performer,Ted,as her first foal.
Enna Gee,raced by Robin in partnership with Captain O Andersen a Norwegian shipping representative and Norwegian Consull then in Wellington, also the pioneer promoter of European trotting stallions in New Zealand,was a different type from the flighty Lady El a solid mid -classes pacer with some good placings to fliers and wins at sprint trips and tight tracks (Victoria Park was a favourite) as well as being a stout stayer on the grass.
By Bachelor Hanover and with strong trotting blood close up-as befits a filly bred by Leicester Clark of Greenpark (Mighty Chief,Mighty Dollar) -where Robin Butt also trained for some years- Enna Gee, a half sister to Mighty Dollar,has been prominent through the deeds of her grand-daughter Northern Franco the dam of NZ FFA winner Pembrook Benny, Northern Velocity etc and the dam also of Veyron whose filly Jean Feiss purchased for $55,000 as a yearling.
So after nearly 40 years descendants of the two Robin Butt-trained mares are still finding their way into top stables. A sound legacy from both-with more in store.
*** Beware The Storm ( Jean Feiss)and Jiliby Jellybean co-owned by the Lee family and Hazel Van Opzeeland were second and third respectively in their second public practice during the Auckland trials meeting on Tuesday. Jean also posted a victory with MacLeod in a maiden heat driven by Mark in one of the biggest fields of the day. MacLeod is a qualified son of Vincent from Millwood Maizie having gained his ticket as a two year old in mid 2025.