Winners are grinners: Copy That blows them away in $1 million feature

The first million-dollar harness race in New Zealand since 2009 was won in spectacular fashion at Cambridge Raceway tonight (Apr. 14) with the Ray Green trained entire, Copy That (American Ideal), capturing the 2023 Race by Grins.

Such was the dominance of the performance by the dual New Zealand cup winner; the country’s leading reinsman and regular pilot, Blair Orange, barely moved a muscle over the course of the 2200m feature.

Very few, if any pacers have ever run Copy That down when the son of American Ideal sets his own terms in front. So it proved yet again with the winning trainer confirming post-race that as the action unfolded, he had very little doubt his charge was going to take all sorts of catching over the sprint journey.

“I always thought if he led, I didn’t see how they could beat him,” said Green.

“You never know how it’s going to pan out, but it’s actually easier than I could have ever imagined.

“Being a race of this magnitude, a million dollars and everything, there was a lot of talk in the media in the lead up and after a while you start believing it,” he said smirking in reference to the opposition chatter about pre-race tactics.

So much was made in the media in the lead-up to ‘The Race’ about early fireworks and who was going to be providing the early pressure from the front line.

With no signs of the promised speed coming from his outside, Orange summed up the situation quickly and crossed down to the marker pegs to lead comfortably with Zachary Butcher and Old Town Road happy to hand up without any real dispute.

The lead up time was a sedate 42.6, however the significant stake money on offer left little room for complacency, especially considering the depth of the field. Moves were bound to come, and that they did, as the rest of the field jostled for positions frantically with Sugars and Australian raider, Bettor Eclipse the first to move working three wide from the winning post and finding the chair with a mile left to run.

Sugars never got near the wheel of Copy That and it wasnt until Self Assured and then local hope Kango worked around with a lap to run that any real pressure was poured into the race.

Akuta and Mark Purdon found themselves trapped three wide with Butcher unwilling to relent the parked position with Kango, which offered Tim Williams and B D Joe a helmet to follow in the three wide line for the dash home.

Orange turned up the heat down the back straight and Copy That obliged as willing as ever, not allowing the horses at his wheel to get any closer and turning for home it was pretty clear the only serious threats were sitting directly on his back.

Butcher and Old Town Road dove into the passing lane and for a brief moment offered some cheek, however Orange had yet to pull the plugs on the champ and the pair soon put pay to the chasing pack.

“I thought coming across the last corner, they are not going to beat him because the main players and opposition were not exactly getting a great trip,” said Green.

“Except for Old Town Road, he was the only one I thought who could upset us sitting on our backs, but we were too good on the night,” he said.

Copy That paced the 2200m journey in a new track record of 2:36.3 for the 2200m with a last mile of 1:54.3. His closing splits were run in 56.0 and 28.3 which provided a comfortable margin in the finish with a further length and three quarters back to Old Town Road in second.

COPY THAT | RACE by GRINS REPLAY

Last year’s winners, Self Assured and Natalie Rasmussen put in a great performance for third a further two and a half lengths behind the second placed runner with the barrier draw leaving them with too much to do in their attempt at doubling up.

Stablemate and the only mare in the race, No Matter Wat was thrown in the deep end however from the pole barrier was given a dream drag three back on the marker pegs. In the run home, the New Zealand Oaks winner ran past Self Assured to his inside but lost balance and galloped when looking incredibly likely to finish in the top three.

In the end it was all semantics, with Blair Orange saluting the 4500+ strong Cambridge crowd in the same manner he has done in each of the last two New Zealand Cups.

“He’s been a great horse to me and hes one in a million that you get to drive,” said Orange post race.

“I’m just really happy for the horse and his connections, they have done a fantastic job.

“It’s great to see people back at the races and it just shows that people still love their horses and racing and its a great occasion to be a part of,” he said.

When asked what instructions he had given his driver, Green was quick to emphasise that in many ways, less is more when dealing with a bloke at the top of his craft.

“He’s a top professional and I don’t tell him what to do, just how the horse is and anything he needs to know in that regard. The rest is his job out there and he knows the horse very well now and he’s hardly ever been beaten on him, he knows the horse very well and there is not much I can say that will make any difference,” he said.

Green was quick to also quash any rumours that he has slept in the stall of Copy That on the eve of his Race by Grins triumph, but the near 80 year old didn’t exactly have a five-star hotel stay either.

“I didn’t sleep with him, but I slept outside of his stable last night to eliminate anything that may or may not have happened which gave me my peace of mind if you like, but I have done that plenty of times before,” he said.

The winning prizemoney of $450,000 took Copy That’s career earnings to just shy of $2million dollars (Self Assured eclipsed $2million running third). The fracture he suffered in Australia 18 months ago seems a lifetime ago, and with no signs of ill effect from the minor bleed, the six-year-old looks to have every opportunity to add to that tally in the future showing little sign of regressing in form.

A lucrative stallion career will one day beckon, not that you would know it according to Green.

“Hes basically a very lazy bugger, he’s so laid back you could land him on Mars, and he would be looking for his feed tub, nothing worries him,” he laughed.

“He’s so relaxed and you see that on the track, around the stables he squeals and jumps around but as soon as he sets foot on the track, he is all business, but as soon as he sees the gate move, he is ready to roll, he’s just a professional horse,” he said.

Copy That is raced by owners Merv and Meg Butterworth and his slot holders for the evening were Summit Bloodstock, Aaron Bain Racing, Richard Cole, Glenn Holland, Stephen Hunt, and Trevor Casey.

For complete Cambridge race fields, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink