William Butler

Godolphin, Juddmonte, and Klaravich Stables have been named finalists for the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's National Owner of the Year award, the organization announced Tuesday. Godolphin is also a finalist for the TOBA's National Breeder of the Year Award. Sheikh Mohammed's operation is joined by fellow breeder finalists Judy Hicks and Town and Country Horse Farms. The finalists for the Small Breeder of the Year are William Butler; Cuyathy; and Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby, and 4G Racing. Finalists for the Cot Campbell Partnership of the Year are Lance Gasaway,...

LOUISVILLE, KY -- Often seen jumping up and winning a race on a big day a square price, trainer Mike Maker did just that, taking the GII Eight Belles S. with William Butler and WinStar Farm's My Mane Squeeze (Audible). Sent off at odds of 6-1, My Mane Squeeze broke well and was a two-wide fifth as longshot Asternia (Astern {Aus}) cut out an opening quarter in :22.46. Urged forward by Luis Saez, she responded quickly and in a flash was on even terms with the pacesetter leaving the quarter...

This year will go down as one of the strangest in living memory. If in January you'd announced to owners and trainers that there would be no racing for two and a half months, it would have been met with widespread incredulity. But that was the situation in which British racing found itself in mid-March and, though the timing was a little off, it wasn't too dissimilar to how things used to be for the predominantly Flat racing heartland of Newmarket before the advent of all-weather racing through the winter...