The partnership with jockey Mr M J Kenneally stands out as the most potent weapon in Butler's armoury. Together they have produced 4 wins from just 11 races — that's better than 1 in every 3, a remarkable hit rate that suggests these two have a real understanding of when to target a race and how to ride for it. For a yard of this size, finding a jockey you can trust and build something with is half the battle, and Butler appears to have done exactly that.
Then there's James The Brave, the horse Butler has saddled more than any other with meaningful results — 3 wins from 15 races together. That kind of long-running partnership between a trainer and one horse is always worth watching. It means Butler knows this animal inside out: when he's ready, when he's not, and where to place him for the best chance of winning.
One other detail worth noting: Butler's horses perform particularly well on wet or muddy ground, winning 2 from 8 races in those conditions — 1 in every 4. That's a genuine edge. When the forecast turns wet, it's worth paying attention to what he's running.
Still only four years in, Butler is the kind of trainer to follow as the operation grows. The foundations — a reliable jockey, a horse he clearly knows well, and a preference for soft conditions — are exactly the sort of patterns that tend to turn small yards into bigger ones.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punchestown | 7 | 1 | 14.3% |
| Limerick | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Tramore | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Wexford | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Killarney | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Galway | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Sligo | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Tipperary | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Thurles | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Cheltenham | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Listowel | 1 | 0 | 0% |