Merv Butterworth with his star pacer Copy That on a trip to Alexandra Park.
Hairline fracture puts paid to Copy That’s summer campaign in Victoria
By Barry Lichter • 27 December 2021
Copy That’s summer campaign in Victoria is over after X-rays today revealed he has a hairline fracture of the splint bone in his off hind leg.
Owner Merv Butterworth confirmed any hope the horse had of contesting the A$500,000 Hunter Cup on February 5 is gone after the diagnosis at the Ballarat Veterinary Clinic.
“It’s a mild fracture and it will take a couple of weeks to see how it’s healing before we decide on our next course of action.”
Butterworth was philosophical about the injury to Copy That, whose earnings are closing in on $1 million.
“He won’t be racing for a while but that’s the horse business. It could have been a much worse injury.”
While it is too soon to know how long Copy That will be sidelined the injury casts a huge shadow over his chances of competing in New Zealand’s two biggest autumn races, the new slot race at Cambridge, the $900,000 The Race on April 14, and the $400,000 Auckland Cup on May 27.
“We haven’t even thought about that yet. We’ve got many weeks to scratch our heads.”
The premature end to Copy That’s summer campaign comes as a huge disappointment for Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green who had enjoyed a terrific run with the horse who has won 24 of his 45 starts and $964,297 in stakes.
Fractures of the second and fourth metacarpal (splint) bones are not uncommon and are far less serious than that to the cannon bone or damage to tendons and ligaments.
The splint bones are remnants of two of the five toes of prehistoric horses and run down either side of the cannon bone. They narrow as they go from the carpal or tarsal joint down, and form a “button” at the bottom or their length, a few centimetres above the fetlock.
The literature on splint bone injuries states rest is the most important factor for healing which can take anywhere from two weeks to two months. Horses must be confined to a box until inflammation has subsided.
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Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Rivergirl Bella
5.44pm
“She did well here last time as she had to do a bit to get to the lead and she dug in and fought on. She’s certainly a chance if she repeats that effort.”
Race 4: Lincoln Linda
7.09pm
“I thought she went super last time after doing a lot of work. She can do that because she has an engine and is tough. She’s a bit one-dimensional - you have to turn her loose early - but from the two draw she should be able to lead and that’s where she does her best work.”
Race 5: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.34pm
“I think he’s a bit stronger after his spell. It’s not a great field - most will die on that mark - and I don’t see a problem with the standing start as he’s nicely gaited. He could be marginally unfit after three months out but he’s done quite a bit of work and I can see him going a half-decent race.”
Race 6: Lincoln Maree
7.59pm
“She had every chance last time but I can’t see why she won’t go well again. She’s as honest as they come and tries like hell.”
Race 7: The Night Fox
8.29pm
“You’d think he’d lead easily from the inside. He’s had bad draws and still got the money, so I’m sure he’ll go another good race. I’m surprised they sold him so cheaply. He’s better than people think.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Lincoln Wave
5.09pm
“With the trip he got in the Harness Million I thought he’d have run on a lot better. But he was still a bit short on fitness and sometimes we can expect too much of these horses, he was racing the best, after all. It’s a big drop in grade here and he’s a pretty fair horse.”
Race 1: Leo Lincoln
5.09pm
“He’s an honest sort who’s in a good space but he won’t get a wonderful trip from the outside of the gate this time so I’m not holding my breath.”
Race 3: Sammy Lincoln
6.04pm
“He’s training down well but you never know what he’s going to do. You think you’ve got him sorted and he does something silly. But we know if the real Sammy turned up, he’d be very hard to beat as he’s got a lot of speed.”
Race 5: Prince Lincoln
7.05pm
“He’s another where you don’t know which one will turn up but we’ve gelded him since his last run, so we’ll see if that helps. He trained well the other day.”
