Button Rock thrives over fences with 28/1 Perth chase debut win

Button Rock turned a £1,800 punt into a 28/1 Perth prize when he landed the Secure Air Parks Edinburgh Airport Parking Handicap Chase by 2½ lengths on Thursday. The six-year-old gelding, making his first start for Andrew Hamilton and his first start over fences, was ridden patiently by Derek Fox before sweeping past Wasdell Dundalk on the run-in over 2m 4f 20y on good ground.

That finish mattered because this was not a soft spot against exposed rivals. Wasdell Dundalk arrived as a four-time Perth winner and was chasing a fifth course success, with Perth’s own preview describing him as returning to one of his favourite racecourses for the feature chase. Button Rock still had work to do approaching the last fence, but once Fox asked for an effort he quickened sharply and put the race away with authority, suggesting the market had underestimated both the horse and the stable placement.

For Hamilton, the result was as much about timing as talent. He bought Button Rock from Gordon Elliott in May and had the horse for only a month before Thursday’s race. The new connections had already seen enough at home to think the switch to fences could suit, and Elliott’s view that the gelding might prefer jumping proved decisive. Hamilton’s decision not to force the issue early was justified: Fox was told to keep Button Rock jumping cleanly and avoid pressing for the lead too soon, a plan that left room for the late burst that won the race.

The performance also gave Hamilton his first winner at Perth, a notable marker for a trainer with a fresh recruit rather than a long-established stable star. Button Rock had been disappointing over hurdles, but his chase debut changed the picture immediately. The horse profile identifies him as Button Rock (IRE) by Getaway, and the pedigree fits the evidence on the track: a switch to fences looked far more natural than persistence over hurdles.

There is still no need to overreach with him. This was a tidy, well-judged placement job rather than a one-off gamble, and the final margin over a proven course specialist points to more than a lucky break. Button Rock looked like a horse who may now belong in better staying handicap chases, with the £1,800 purchase already paying back more than price alone.