Ray tells why Copy That can prove the knockers wrong in the cup on Tuesday

No one knows Copy That better than Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green so you have to listen when he says only bad luck, not a lack of fitness, will get his horse beaten in Tuesday’s $600,000 IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington.

Plenty of tipsters have this week marked down Copy That for having had only two lead-up races, declaring him susceptible to a home stretch challenge even if he gets his favourite leading role.

But while Green agrees Copy That has not had a traditional cup preparation, he believes the horse is plenty forward enough to win and is a better animal than the one who was robbed through a shambolic start last year.

“I think some people get a bit carried away with the tradition of the cup but our horses are a different breed now and you have to adjust your training style.

“The breed now is getting closer to throughbreds and you kill them with too much hard racing.”

Even trainers preparing their gallopers for the most famous of all 3200 metre races, the Melbourne Cup, no longer follow the old Bart Cummings mantra that they must race over 10,000 metres to be fit enough. Northern hemisphere stayers often line up with little or no recent racing these days.

“My style of training is not to drill them and I discovered long ago that certain breeds can’t cop hard racing,” says Green of his American Ideal colt.

“I’ve had quite a few American Ideals and I’m more conservative with them than most trainers and I’ve had a lot of success.”

Green says you only have to look at Copy That’s stats to see he doesn’t need copious amounts of racing to be a winner.

In 16 starts since last year’s cup, Copy That has won eight races and placed five times, his races well spaced.

Trainer Ray Green, pictured behind Copy That, says he is “a better package than he was for the cup last year.”He raced three times in December, once each in January, February and March, twice in April, only once each in May and June and four times during a Brisbane campaign in July.

“Copy That is also quite small, is clean winded, and has a great engine so he doesn’t need a lot of hard racing to be at his peak.

“Years ago we even used to grandmother (train hard) the hell out of them on race morning to make them step. But it’s a different breed now.

“My theory is while it’s not been a traditional preparation, I might have been doing it wrong all the time. I think he’s had a good preparation.

“He might have raced only twice recently but he has residual fitness from the Brisbane trip and you wouldn’t call that insignificant. He had four races in four weeks over there and never went a bad one.”

And Green says Copy That had only two weeks off after that last July 24 race.

“OK, we had a bit of a setback when there was no racing at Alexandra Park for the best part of a month because of Covid but his two races at Auckland last month were both good.

“He probably needed the first one, which he still won, and he got home really well from 30 metres when third in the second one.”

Green isn’t fazed either by suggestions that Copy That suffered when he missed a final planned race at Addington and instead trialled, virtually solo, at Pukekohe eight days ago.

Driver Maurice McKendry was instructed to run at race speed over the 2500 metres and ended up clocking what was believed to be a track record, pacing his last 2400 metres in a blistering 2:54.

Copy That has has done well since flying south last Thursday, says Auckland-bound Green, Ken Barron reporting he felt in great shape when worked a conservative 3200 metres yesterday.

Copy That beats Aussie champion King Of Swing and Rockin Marty in the Sunshine Sprint at Albion Park in July. PHOTO: Dan Costello.Green believes Copy That’s arsenal is even better having had the experience of racing, and beating, the best in Queensland over winter when most of his cup rivals were still only in light training.

“Meeting King of Swing and co over there has definitely improved him, he’s grown a bit and I’ve let his gear out a little bit at a time. He’s a better package now than he was for the cup last year.

“The trip also elevated him in the eyes of the world to a serious Grand Circuit horse.

“He might be a little fresher than the others but I think he’s arriving at a good time and, if things go our way, he’s the one to beat.

“He’s as forward as we can get him under the circumstances. Whether that’s good enough, we’ll find out but I think it is and, if he gets beaten, it won’t be for lack of speed or manners or race fitness, it will be bad luck.”

TOMORROW AND TUESDAY: The draws, the 3200 metre form and the betting.