Copy That off to Aussie for injury assessment

Two-time New Zealand Cup harness racing hero Copy That (American Ideal) is off to Australia again, but not to race this time.

The wonderful pacer missed his shot at a NZ Cup three-peat when he went sore with a knee issue and potential other concerns a few weeks before the Cup but trainer Ray Green says things are looking up.

“I am more confident now that he will race again than I was when it first all happened,” says Green.

“He has been walking in the cart every day and walks sound and on the one or two occasions he has got excited and gone a bit quicker, more or less by accident, he has still felt sound.

“But we want to make sure and the only MRI machine we know of that works on horses while standing is at a clinic in Ballarat so Merv and Meg (Butterworth, owners) are flying him over there so he can have a full scan.

“Sometimes it can be very tricky getting horses up if you have to lie them down for that sort of thing and we’d rather not take the risk.

“We know he needs an operation on his knee but we don’t think it is too serious but we want to get the scan done to make sure nothing else is bothering him.

“Then, if it isn’t, we can get the operation done and he can stay there for 5 or 6 weeks and come home.”

Green says while the road ahead isn’t totally clear he expects Copy That to be able to get back to the races and he could even chase that third New Zealand Cup next November.

“He is still only a six-year-old so if he can come back, why not another Cup?

“But even if all goes well he wouldn’t be back here for 5 to 6 weeks and then would probably have that long again on the water walker.

“So races like the Race by Grins and the Auckland Cup are not targets for next season but we’d be thrilled just to get him back and we think that is looking more likely.”

by Michael Guerin for Harness Racing New Zealand