Debbie Green hugs driver Andre Poutama after My Copy’s big upset at Auckland tonight.
Proud owner Deb beaming as Andre gets rank outsider My Copy home at Alexandra Park
By Barry Lichter • 13 June 2024
Debbie Green knows My Copy will never set hearts aflutter like his half-brother Copy That but she just loves watching him race.
And when the big black scored his seventh win for her at Alexandra Park tonight, despite being terribly off in the ratings, she was beaming with pride.
My Copy, inner, staves off the late-closing Twista. PHOTO: Megan Liefting/Race Images.“That’s so exciting. He’s no superstar but he’s a nice horse and I’ve always wanted to see what he could run over a mile.”
My Copy’s 1:55.6 wasn’t the fastest of the night but for a rating 51 horse taking on pacers rated between R57 and R65 it was a pretty decent showing.
“America will be wanting him now,” said Green whose husband Ray trains the five-year-old at Lincoln Farms.
“He deserved that,” Ray Green said. “He’s been a good thing beaten in his last couple of starts.
“I can’t believe nobody bought him when he had him on the market for $40,000. He’s closing in on $100,000 now.
“If you had him in Australia you’d get a living off him as he’s such a tractable bugger.”
Greg Pope, representing race sponsor IRT, shares a joke with trainer Ray Green.My Copy took his bankroll to $87,860 tonight winning the IRT. Your Horse Our Passion Pace, and despite being the rank outsider in the seven-horse field paying $14.20, Green had rated him a chance if he got the right trip from the pole.
And while driver Andre Poutama had to hunt him out at the start to hold the trail, and My Copy looked to be struggling across the top bend, he responded like the trooper he is.
“He’s so laid back you’ve got to make him do it,” said Poutama, pinch-hitting for holidaying regular driver Maurice McKendry.
“If you let him get away with it, he will.”
Debbie Green greets My Copy after his seventh win.But under Poutama’s urgings, My Copy reeled off a 56.1 last half and 27 quarter to claim a head win over Twista, with the pacemaking Hugotastic a weakening third, three-quarters of a length away.
And Debbie Green was there on the track to meet her hero on his return, no doubt still picturing the hairy little midget by Highview Tommy she bought for $3000 at a weanling sale when he was just five months old.
More news in Harness
Hubby nearly in the dog box after Tyson delivers Debbie a Golden Gait knockout blow
Debbie lands Golden draw at last in her bid to give Sampson a haircut at the Park
Spiritual Bliss and Lincoln Maree add to Lincoln Farms’ gallery of Manawatu heroes
Video clue on why Lincoln Lover is tipped to go boldly fresh-up at Auckland on Friday night
Our runners this week
Wednesday at Cambridge
Spiritual Bliss, Lincoln Lover, Lincoln Downs, Leo Lincoln, Lincoln Maree.
Our runners this week: How our trainers rate them
Ray’s comments
Thursday night at Cambridge
Race 3: Lincoln Downs
6.22pm
“She got home really well on the second night at Manawatu and gets a good draw here. There’s not much exposed form in the race so it’s hard to know how she compares but she’ll win one.”
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 3: Debbie Lincoln
7.01pm
“I thought she went super again last week with no luck and we’ve got a decent draw for a change so you have to like her chances. She’s been getting in on the corners, so we’ve added a Murphy blind.”
Race 3: Tyson
7.01pm
“I was impressed by the way he hung on to Captain Sampson and Greased Lightnin last week. They’re strong sprinters and it was only a sprint up the straight. He’ll need things to go his way from six.”
Race 3: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.01pm
“It was his first run for a while last week and he probably needed another trial. But we thought we might as well race him to set him up for this week. The outside draw of eight doesn’t help.”
Race 9: Lincoln Lover
9.55pm
“He’s not as sharp as our other two but he’s a game little bugger. He’ll win races for sure.”
Race 9: Prince Lincoln
9.55pm
“I thought he went really well last week. He’d had only one trial and was a bit fresh so it was understandable that he got tired the last bit. That will tighten him up and I’m expecting him to race well. He’s trained on well since.”
Race 9: Johnny Lincoln
9.55pm
“Prince has the wood on Johnny but he’ll still go well. He found the line well last week. It was his first run for a while too, and his first as a gelding.”
