Wayne and Fiona Keoghan are counting down the days until The Grins after drawing Copy That in the club’s sweepstake.
Geez Wayne! Rare night at the trots leads to chance of $50,000 collect on Copy That
By Barry Lichter • 11 April 2023
Wayne Keoghan doesn’t follow the horses. He’d never heard of Copy That before today.
But on Friday night, there won’t be one person in the country more focussed on his run in the $1million The Race By Grins at Cambridge.
That’s because Keoghan stands to win $50,000 if Copy That takes out the big slot race after drawing the ruling favourite in Cambridge Raceway’s sweepstake.
That Keoghan, 57, even bought a ticket was remarkable considering he and his wife Fiona hadn’t been to the races for more than four years when they went with some family and friends last Thursday.
“It was a sheer fluke. We hadn’t been to the trots for I don’t know how long, it was well before Covid. But it was Easter weekend and we were going away in motorhome with a friend so we thought why not park up there on Thursday night and go on to Rotorua the next day.
“I was up at the bar and the girl asked would I like a ticket in a sweepstake. I heard her say if we got drawn, we’d win a minimum of $2000, and to be honest I didn’t even listen to the rest of what she was saying.”
Keoghan says they wouldn’t normally spend $100 on a lottery ticket but when he put it to his wife, “she hummed and haaa-ed for a while, then we decided we’d take a punt.
“We’re not big gambling people. We only bet a couple of dollars here and there and we actually lost all night last week, two placings were our best results. But we had a great night.”
Keoghan, who lives out the back of Karapiro, had no idea his number 232 came up in last evening’s draw until phoned by a friend of his wife who saw his name listed on Facebook.
And even when he discoverd he’d drawn a horse named Copy That he was still oblivious to the horse’s huge ability until he rang his brother whose partner reported: “Oh, that’s a good horse.”
Now Keoghan, who works for a company that imports motor home equipment, and his wife who runs the laundry at St Peters School, are counting down the days until The Grins.
And he’s even doing some swotting up on the opposition.
“I watched a video on Facebook and saw the horse drawn inside Copy That, Old Town Road, is driven by a Z. Butcher. We used to follow David and Philip Butcher way back when we went to the races.”
Keoghan reckons all the stars could be aligning for Friday night too.
“I see Nicholas Cage is in the race. My alias is NickCage. Someone reckoned I looked like him a few years ago and it stuck and now I use it as my email address.”
Horses also featured on his recent Rotorua break.
“We went horse riding on a farm in Rotorua for the first time in 25 plus years. It’s all lining up.”
Keoghan welcomes news that Copy That has finished first, second or third in 75% of his 62 starts for Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green and owners Merv and Meg Butterworth, which would equate to a sweepstake collect of either $50,000, $20,000 or $12,000.
“But winning $2000 is fantastic too and anything above that would be a bonus.”
Keoghan still recalls the atmosphere at Cambridge the night Christian Cullen scored there in 1999 but you just sense Friday night’s excitement index could top even that.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Debbie Lincoln
5.26pm
“She had to sit parked most of the way last time but still went well, and that’s what she does. She’s proven to be a very promising filly and, while it’s hard these days to win without a good trip, it’s an even field and she’s a good chance again.”
Race 2: Lincoln Lou
5.55pm
“He probably cost himself a win last week by going roughly, but he can do that. If he’d got Frisco Bay’s trip he would have won with his closing quarters of 56 and 27 the fastest in the race. He’s just got to do things right to be the one to beat, even from the bad draw, as it’s an easier field.”
Race 5: Frisco Bay
7.30pm
“He’s up in grade a bit but I don’t think there’s anything between them. He’s just got to get the right run and, with his speed, he’ll be right in it.”
Race 6: Kevin Kline
7.59pm
“He’s no superstar but he’s very honest and he’s always a place chance as he’s a tough bugger, he sat parked last week.”
Race 6: Colonel Lincoln
7.59pm
“With a similar run to last week, he’d be right in it. He clocked 55.8 and 27.7, doing his best work at the finish. He hasn’t gone a bad race since he’s come back.”
Race 8: Prince Lincoln
8.59pm
“I wasn’t expecting him to do anything on debut as he’s a green, young horse. But he went very well so he’s obviously lifted his game for the occasion. And he’s trained on even better so the experience has enhanced him. From the inside he has to be a good chance.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.59pm
“She’s definitely a better animal left-handed but she was passable right-handed and should go better this time. She’s got some speed.”
Race 8: Lincoln Downs
8.59pm
“She’s a nice filly but is behind the others. I don’t expect her to beat anything but she needs the experience.”
Race 8: Lincoln Linda
8.59pm
“There won’t be any shadows for her to jump this time so she has to be a serious chance. She’d been dominant at the workouts and trials before her debut but didn’t get the chance to show her true worth.”
Race 8: Lincoln Lover
8.59pm
“Fergie was quite impressed with him on debut and requested the drive again. He finished on strongly up the lane and should go well again. He just needs some luck from the outside of the gate.”
Mark Dux’s comments
Saturday night at Albion Park
Race 3: Argyle
9.04pm NZ time
“I thought his last two starts have been terrific. There’s no doubt this race is tougher, and he has trickier draw, but I was talking to Angus last night and he was quite upbeat about his chances. He said the horse gave him a good feel when he sat parked two starts back and he picked him too (in the draft). But it won’t be easy. There could be a bit of pressure early. I think he’ll come out and see what unfolds and, if there is too much pressure, he’ll drive him quietly.”
Ray’s comments
Sunday at Manawatu
Race 1: Onyx Shard
5.29pm
“You can put a line through her last run at Cambridge when she pulled up showing signs of a respiratory infection. She had a couple of weeks off after that and, while she hasn’t trialled since, she’s been training down nicely. She’s a nice filly and from the good draw should really win.”
Race 3: Lincoln La Moose
6.19pm
“He wasn’t far away in the amateur race at Auckland last time despite jumping a shadow early and galloping. This is a decent drop in class for him and he should be very competitive.
