Canterbury-based harness racing trainer and driver Kimberly Butt will experience a race meeting of a different kind when she takes part in the prestigious Vincent Delaney Memorial in England this weekend.
The VDM, as it is known, has now been running for 13 years and has become a major international event. Thousands will flock to Dunstall Park in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands on August 10 and 11. Vincent Delaney was a keen harness racing enthusiast who died of a heart attack at the age of just 27. His brothers James and Derek organised the meeting in his honour.
Kimberly Butt comes from one of harness racing's greatest families and is excited about what lies ahead as she follows in the footsteps of her father Anthony Butt, her uncle Cran Dalgety, ten-time Fresh Zealand Champion Driver Dexter Dunn and other well-known Fresh Zealanders.
“I knew about it because Dad and Dex went a few years ago, and I followed it and stuck with it. When I got the invite, I was thrilled,” she told Campbell's Comments, “and since I got the invite, the number of people who have said, 'It's the best thing I've ever done,' is incredible.”
Anthony Butt, now living in Australia and a multiple Group 1 winner who won three Fresh Zealand Cups, was there in 2014 and 2022.
When Dalgety was invited, the meeting was held at the now-defunct Portmarnock Raceway in Dublin. It was then moved to Tir Raceway in Wales for three years. This is the first time it has been held in Wolverhampton (pictured above).
For Dalgety it was an experience he will never forget.
“We packed three weeks into three days,” he laughs, “they treated us like kings. We went everywhere in Dublin, visited the Guinness factory, the whole program.”
“You could celebrate!”
Now Kimberley Butt can see first hand what she has only heard about. It was her father's contacts with Derek Delaney that helped her get an invitation. She and her partner Jonny Cox left Fresh Zealand about a week ago.
She will be taking part in a novel race at the meeting, the Bernie Kelly International Ladies Charity Race. Money raised will go to the Cancer Trials charity. Bernie Kelly was the race secretary, organiser and devoted supporter of the Delaney family since the inception of the VDM Racing Weekend. She died in 2019 after a tough battle with cancer.
“Bernie was an energetic woman full of life,” says VDM Chairman Derek Delaney, “and her presence is felt not only on race day itself, but throughout the entire planning process. It feels right to be able to do this in her honor.”
Joining Butt in the race will be Charlie Flanagan, Chelsie O'Driscoll and Grace Kelly (all Ireland), Alexis Laidler, Claire Bousfield and Vicky Gill (all Great Britain), Jazmin Arnold (USA) and Lauren Tritton (Australia). Between them they have won over 1,600 races.
So what is the quality of racing?
“The standard is actually lower,” says Dalgety. “If they've run a mile in 1:56 or 1:57, they think that's huge.”
But at VDM everything revolves around the event.
“The way the people were dressed and the facilities were world class,” says Dalgety, “the stands, the restaurants and everything they put on was five-star.”
While Kimberly is looking forward to the weekend, apparently not everyone is completely joyful with the agreement.
“Dad keeps telling me how jealous he is that he doesn’t come.”
from Dave Di Sommafor Harness News Desk
