Ashley Butler was perfection at Mackay on Tuesday afternoon

A near $100 four-timer would have scared the horse racing bookmakers if any Ashley Butler fans out there had backed him to have a clean sweep. Those with an eagle eye will have seen him doing well at the track so far this season but even by those standards, Tuesday was a superb afternoon.

750 winners up for Ashley Butler in February

One winner shy of 50 for the season now, Butler has ridden 73, 74 and 81 in three of the last four campaigns. The only one that he failed to do so was the year that he found himself in a fight in the toilets of a bar and missed a long time with a broken jaw.

Consistency has been the byword for all of his career so far, kicking off with 32 winners in his very first season, 2008/09. Although he has only had a single ride in a Group 3 and six at Listed level, he has not needed the rides in the big races to create an impression.

It was on February 27 that Butler rode his 750th winner. The well-named Win And Tonic was the horse that he saluted on for Georgie Holt. It was a win from the front which is a style that suits Butler well with a smart clock in his head.

Mackay is the track for Ashley Butler

It was a shame that there wasn’t a fifth ride on the card for Butler who ended the afternoon with 199 winners at the track in his career. That is the second most winners that he has ridden at any track with his home track of Rockhampton the only place that he has saluted on more occasions.

Butler is a model of consistency. In the last 10 seasons, he has had eight where he has ridden winners at a pace of 20% or better. His best was a 26% strike rate in the 2022/23 season while the pair that he failed to hit 20%, he finished on 19% on each occasion.

Front running was the way to succeed at Mackay

Three of Butler’s four winners came with rides where he set off in front and nothing could get past him. As mentioned earlier, this is a tactic that has suited him well so far in his career and is something that is worth noting. If he is on a runner who could get a soft lead in a race, then that horse is of immediate interest.

It was a winner each for four different trainers at Mackay. The first of those was Replace The Ace for Tom Smith. It was the first winner that the pair have enjoyed together at the 23 attempts after six seconds and three thirds.

Hi Frank was a winner for Sileas Green. Green is the daughter of Graeme and she has served time working for Darley in both Sydney and England. She is a trainer who could take off when she gets the right horses.

Winner three was Kings Castle for Darby Amos with the clean sweep completed on Rubunkar for Lachie Manzelmann. Kings Castle was the odd one out of the four, being held up in the early stages of the race.

Mackay has been a happy hunting ground for Ashley Butler this season. From 50 rides, he has saluted 20 times. That’s a strike rate of 40% with an ROI of +53.1. Keep an eye on the betting sites for him at the next Mackay meeting.