Merv and Meg Butterworth celebrate Cyclone U Bolt’s second Jewels win at Ashburton in 2013.
Covid keeps Merv and Meg away but they’re putting the champagne on ice for Copy That
By Barry Lichter • 2 June 2021
Even before today’s announcement that Victoria’s lockdown would be extended by seven days, owner Merv Butterworth had decided Copy That would have to run at Sunday’s Jewels without him.
Butterworth, 78, and his wife Meg last night abandoned plans to fly from Melbourne to New Zealand in the face of daily increases in the number of Covid-19 cases in the community.
“There are so many infectious now we thought mixing with hundreds of people at the airport and on the plane wasn’t a good idea.
“We decided we were better off continuing to isolate and get in a couple of buckets of ice and champagne bottles.”
The Covid-19 lockdown in Victoria was scheduled to end on Friday but with another six cases notified today, 60 cases in all and 350 exposure sites, it has now been extended until midnight on Thursday, June 10.
Merv Butterworth has enjoyed a great run with Copy That who has now won 17 races for him.Butterworth will have to be content with watching the Cambridge Jewels meeting from his home, with no visitors, but he has had a few bets to keep him interested.
“He’s at excellent odds. I’m not worried about the draw. It would have been nice if we’d drawn one, two, three or four but he’s the best horse in the race.
“I got on at $3.40, then had to divide my second bet by four to get on again and they wouldn’t let me have a third go. You’d think it was their own money.”
The TAB bookies listed the early betting on Copy That as $2000 at $3.40 and $500 at $3.40, the horse’s odds now tightened to $3.20.
Butterworth says he’s also taken a string of multis, as he can see a majority of the favourites winning on Sunday.
The Butterworths are no stranger to success on Jewels day, scored back-to-back wins at Cambridge in 2014 with King Denny and Supersonic Miss, and will be chasing their sixth win on Sunday.
He and his wife Meg have enjoyed success with:
- Cyclone U Bolt, twice. He took the 2012 Three-Year-Old Ruby at Cambridge and 2013 Four-Year-Old Ruby at Ashburton.
- King Denny, who also won trotting jewels twice - the Three-Year-Old Ruby at Cambridge in 2014 and Four-Year-Old Ruby at Ashburton in 2015 and
- Supersonic Miss, who won the 2014 Two-Year-Old Diamond at Cambridge.
Their placings at the Jewels date back to the inaugural event in 2007 and very first race when Lucy Thundercloud ran third as rank outsider, paying $33, behind $81 upsetter GTH Aveross.
Their other placings include:
* Nokomai who ran third to Adore Me in the Three-Year-Old Diamond at Ashburton in 2013.
* Golden Goddess, who finished second in the Three-Year-Old Diamond at Cambridge in 2016 and
* President Roydon who ran a neck second to Enghein in the Three-Year-Old Ruby at Ashburton in 2017.
Few owners have enjoyed as much success at the Jewels as the Butterworths, who raced all except Supersonic Miss on their own.
But prolific winners Phil and Glenys Kennard have won 13 Jewels in syndicates, Trevor Casey has enjoyed nine wins and the late Charlie Roberts six.
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Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Lincoln LInda
5.14pm
“The fillies she raced against in the Sires’ Stakes Semi were the best around so this is a massive drop in class for her. I imagine Fergie will work his way forward, as she’s best in front, and then she’d become the one to beat.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Prince Lincoln
5.16pm
“The draw helps as he likes being in front. The raw ability is there but from time to time he’s reluctant to show it. But that last start was a vast improvement.”
Race 1: Colonel Lincoln
5.16pm
“He was definitely in need of the run first-up and will benefit from another. He’s been off the scene for a long time.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.08pm
“He did well second-up, peeling off a 55.1 half. He’s been a slow maturer but I think he’s getting stronger as he gets older - he certainly feels much stronger in his work.”
Race 5: Lincoln Wave
7.08pm
“The Cambridge race has brought him on and I’m sure he’ll go well again, but he won’t be butchered a week out from the Derby. I don’t want to get carried away but he’s a pretty good horse, the best of our three in the race. He’s a year younger than Suger Ray but has a bit more ability. It’s hard to know where he’ll take us but he has the potential to be a classic colt.”
Race 5: Leo Lincoln
7.08pm
“He’s in the zone, he’s feeling really great, and he won’t go badly. But he’ll need luck from the draw.”
Race 9: Spiritual Bliss
9.04pm
“She’s racing better horses now and has done well to cop getting parked in some hard-run races. Leading is her go and she’ll get her chance from the inside draw.”
Race 10: Rivergirl Bella
9.36pm
“She has got a bit of speed but she can’t carry it very far. But if she gets the right trip, and gets out at the right time, not too soon, she’s always a chance.”
Race 10: Jessie Lincoln
9.36pm
“Harry blamed himself for the horse breaking at the start at Cambridge - he said he asked her to go a bit too quickly off the gate. She shouldn’t do it again. She’ll hold her own here, I’m sure.”
Race 10: Marylynes Boy
9.36pm
“He’s been training well but he’s only a little colt having his first start and from the second row I think Nathan will be happy to just see him get around safely.”
