No Aussie trip for Copy That

As reported by the NZ Herald, for pacing hero Copy That (American Ideal), only one race matters now, and that looks certain to see him miss the rich Queensland winter harness racing carnival for a well-earned break.

Copy That was among the favourites for the A$400,000 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park in July but trainer Ray Green and owner Merv Butterworth are now lukewarm on another transtasman trip.

“He has had some hard racing and done plenty of travelling since last September and he is only flesh and bone, he needs a break at some stage,” says Green.

“We haven’t made our final decision but I think he is unlikely, we’d like to give him a break and concentrate on the Cup,”

The Cup is the New Zealand Cup at Addington on November 14, the race Copy That has won the last two seasons, which gives him a shot at joining just three other pacers who has won the iconic race three times.

“That has to be the big aim, to become of the few to win the Cup three times, so I think he is very likely to stay home and concentrate on that,” says Green.

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by Michael Guerin, republished from The New Zealand Herald