Kimberly Butt is keen to find herself driving on a premier race day - and a win at Oamaru tomorrow would mean she can join the big time.
Butt finished her debut season with 14 wins and needs just one more win to be allowed to drive at a premier-rated meeting.
''I'll be looking to do that pretty soon, hopefully,'' Butt said yesterday.
She has four drives at the Kurow Trotting Club's annual meeting, including the up-and-coming pacer Franco Harrington in the Kurow Cup.
But she is most confident about Pantheon, a winner at Oamaru two starts ago on July 13.
The Oamaru win came at Pantheon's second start and while he ran 11th at Rangiora last week, Butt said her uncle Tim, who trains the 4yr-old, had not lost too much sleep over that run.
''At Rangiora, they went a quick time and he didn't really get a run to suit him [so] they weren't too worried about it,'' Butt said.
''He won good two starts back on this course and it's the same barrier draw but a different distance.''
The threats to Pantheon should come from the horses drawn inside him. The Yaldy's Ideal was a last-start winner at Ashburton last month, and Between The Lines did well for third at Forbury Park on July 17.
Pantheon proved at Oamaru he is capable of doing work during the running, and Butt thinks a similar scenario could play out tomorrow.
''He got round them at a good time at Oamaru because they weren't going very quickly but he did it nicely and comfortably.''
Size could be a friend to Franco Harrington in the future, but Butt is slightly concerned he may still be getting used to his frame as he lines up in the $14,999 Kurow Cup.
His last race-day experience was a winning one at Ashburton on June 1 and he returned to the same venue for a tidy trial at Ashburton on Tuesday, beating Jimmy Johnstone and two others.
''He did that nice enough but it's his first run in the grade and it's a big ask - there are a few nice ones in there.
''He's similar to Zakspatrol - he's big and a bit green to it all. He did everything right at the trials the other day so hopefully if he can be thereabouts, that would be good.''
Butt's first drive on Zakspatrol (race 8) does come with a handy draw, but she has a lot of respect for the horses outside her who include Onedin Mach, Alta Jerome, That Guy Finn and Provocative Prince.
''He's been racing well enough but he is a hard horse to follow as he can throw in a bad one,'' she said.
''He's quite a big boy. I think he took a while to get in to the swing of things and figure out what it's all about.
"He found the line pretty good the other day at Rangiora.''
Butt is yet to drive Homeforabubbly (race 7) but hopes a drop back in class will help the Jonny Cox and Amber Hoffman-trained pacer.
Butt was able to look back on last season with pride.
''It probably exceeded my expectations a touch, which was really good,'' she said.
''I probably just want to carry on driving winners and try to do better than last season.''
