Button has high hopes in Whitsunday Guineas

By Glenn Davis

Co-trainer Tom Button is hopeful of ending his Mackay Cup day drought in the Magic Millions Whitsunday Guineas on Saturday.

Button, who has trained in partnership for the past 12 months with Ryan Tyrell at Fenwick Park at Canungra in the Gold Coast hinterland, will have a two-pronged attack with Cocobrew Express and Four Mile Lane in the 1650 metre feature.

Button won five Rockhampton trainers’ premiership titles when training solo before moving south to the Sunshine Coast in 2019.

He was a regular visitor for the Mackay carnival but has never won a Mackay Cup, Mackay Newmarket or Guineas.

“I haven’t had much luck in Mackay and I’m yet to win the Mackay Cup, Guineas or the Newmarket,” Button said.

“But, I did run second one year in the Newmarket with Heartbreak Harry.”

Button won’t have a runner in this year’s Mackay Cup and has named Cocobrew Express as the pick of his pair for the Whitsunday Guineas.

Cocobrew Express – an Ashley Butler mount – produced his best performance in four starts this campaign when run down late for a close third to the Tony Gollan-trained Count Da Beans over 1350 metres at Doomben on July 8.

“His last run was very good and he just needs to repeat that and he’ll be very hard to beat,” Button said.

“It was in a lot harder grade than this and if he runs well, he’ll run in the Guineas races in Townsville and Cairns next.”

Cocobrew Express was a $20,000 buy as a yearling and has returned his owners more than $202,000 in prize money with four wins and two placings from 20 starts.

“He’s been a very good horse for his owners and was only beaten just over three lengths when he led in a Group 1 when he ran in the J. J. Atkins last year,” Button said.

Button believes Four Mile Lane – a Chris Whiteley mount – is up to winning on his best form.

Four Mile Lane won a Benchmark race over 1550 metres at Murwillumbah last month before tailing off last in a field of five in a 1500 metre Benchmark race at Warwick on July 6.

“He can be a difficult horse to catch but on his best form he’s capable of winning but Cocobrew Express is the better chance,” he said.

Button and Tyrell have more than 40 horses in work at their Canungra stables and have opened a satellite stable at Bowen for this year's Northern Queensland Winter Racing Carnival.

“We’ve got seven horses here at Bowen for the carnival and more are coming up on Tuesday,” Button said.

“We had a satellite stable in Townsville last year so we’ll see how things go at Bowen this time but there a chance we might keep this one going after the carnival finishes.”