Hiya Butt – arguably the best combined sprint/standard performer of his era – was due to cover his first bitch less than 24 hours after concluding his open race career.
Mark Keightley said: “He is covering Suirside Leah who was a good class sprinter who reached the finals of the Northern Sprint and National Sprint.
“We will be keeping him here but I will be investing in having some straws taken from him for use in Britain and Ireland and there has been some interest in America. We will also be putting some of our own bitches to him.
“Unfortunately the timing for Roxholme Magic coming in season didn’t work out this time, but we have Roxholme Dream, Roxholme Hottie and Forest Twilight.
“The dog mentally still wants to be racing but we have battled with a muscle injury – the thigh muscle on his off-hind – which he strained in the Derby semi finals last year and then put a hole in during the final. We have been spending more and more time trying to keep him fit but he is now battling the bends instead of driving them as he did at his peak.
“All things considered, he has been a wonderful greyhound for us, and it was time to call it a day.”
Butt’s UK career produced 22 victories from 38 open races. They included the Peterborough Derby and English Laurels. He finished second in the Northern Sprint, third in an East Anglian Derby and National Sprint and reached English Derby finals over 480m at Wimbledon and 500m at Towcester.
A 17.50 (305m) Nottingham open race winner on debut, his personal best collection includes 15.84-280m Sheffield, 16.76-275m Doncaster, 16.78-290m Newcastle, 25.77-435m Peterborough, 27.51-462m Yarmouth, , 27.58-470m Belle Vue, 27.79-480m Monmore, 28.22-480m Wimb, 28.97 (c)-500m Towcester.
Hiya Butt is a Sep 13 son of American import Hondo Black out of Siobhan Duffy’s open racer Hather For Pat (Yeah Man-Culmore Gift). He was from a decent litter which included Hather For Matt (28.59-525 Lifford). To Kinloch Brae, the dam previously threw Northern Irish Derby winner Atitboy and Scottish Derby semi finalist Holdem Tight.
Grand dam Culmore Gift – who won the €10,000 North West Oaks – also threw Olympic runner-up Magna Venturer in her Yeah Man litter. To Hondo Black she produced the versatile Hather George who won a Three Steps To Victory and also contested a Select Stakes and Essex Vase final.
