Redemption time in the cup as barrier draws favour Copy That over main rivals

Trainer Ray Green wouldn’t bet on a standing start race on principle but on Tuesday he can’t see why anyone would want to support IRT New Zealand Cup favourites Self Assured or South Coast Arden.

While his horse Copy That has drawn beautifully, wide on the front line, the other two favourites are stranded out the back, Self Assured two on the second row and South Coast Arden wider out and slightly behind on the unruly mark.

“Self Assured and South Coast Arden will need a lot of luck to get a good trip,” says Green. “We’re in a much better position on the front, we step well so should be quite a few slots in front of them when they settle.”

Green sees it as justice that Copy That might be able to get the front soon after the start on Tuesday, given that his chances evaporated last year when an atrocious release saw the horses drawn in left badly flat-footed while the ones out wide, most particularly Self Assured, somehow got away with a flying start.

Last year’s cup start drew widespread condemnation and resulted in the replacement of starter Peter Lamb. Copy That, on the inside, was one of the worst affected.“What happened last year was bad for the game. It should never have happened and it did irreparable damage to harness racing.

“They did the right thing by replacing the starter straight after that but it stuffed up the whole race.”

Green is comforted by the fact new protocols have been adopted this year and replacement starter Ricky Donnelly will demand the entire field stands properly before activating the tapes.

“Mark (Purdon) is a very good driver but he’s at the mercy of everybody around him this time with Self Assured and will need a lot of luck. If he doesn’t get it, he’s dead in the water just as we were last year.”

Purdon has noticeably had Self Assured on the move each time he’s begun well this campaign and in most cases it has been with no rivals near him.

On Tuesday, with only the unruly runners outside him, it’s dollars to donuts Purdon will attempt to move out from two on the second row and attempt to follow through either Matt Damon in three or Classie Brigade in four, who are both nippy beginners.

Self Assured, left, and South Coast Arden, middle, will both need a lot of early luck. PHOTO: Addington Raceway.“If Self Assured ended up getting a good trip, he’d be hardest to beat. I don’t take him cheaply at all, he’s a great horse - we were underbidders on him at the sales. I respect him to the max but he only fell in at Ashburton, walked and sprinted up the straight.”

South Coast Arden will also need a lot of luck, says Green, given he has been rearing before his recent stand starts.

“I thought he looked a tired horse in the Kaikoura Cup and I don’t think he’ll be a problem for us, but he might be a nuisance at some stage of the race.”

Green says he doesn’t wish bad luck on any of Copy That’s rivals.

Johnny-on-the-spot

“I’d like to see them all step and for it to be a good race. But I can see trouble early for some and then Classie Brigade will be Johnny-on-the-spot.

“He’s not as brilliant as Copy That, Self Assured or South Coast Arden but he’s a reliable beginner and an honest warrior. Everything points to him leading out and taking a trail on Copy That. If he follows us, he’ll get a really good trip and if something goes wrong with the favourites, he’ll be all over them.”

Green says it’s not surprising that after Self Assured, Copy That, South Coast Arden and Classie Brigade the next most favoured horse is at $41.

“The others deserve to be at $41 and longer. It’s a bit like the Melbourne Cup this year, two thirds of the field were plugging handicappers and the class horses came through.”

Ray Green … dislikes the New Zealand Cup and would like to see 3200 metre races, and even 2700 metre races, phased out.Green makes no secret of the fact he dislikes the New Zealand Cup and says it survives only because of tradition.

“I’d like to see 3200 metre and 2700 metre races phased out. We’re desperately short of horses and they’d back up more often if we didn’t have long races and the horses would last a lot longer.

“Thank goodness they don’t run 3200 metre races too often, it’s not compatible with the breed, you could say even harmful. We should be tailoring things a lot more to the new breed not sticking with tradition for the sake of it.”

Green says the way cup week is structured with horses asked to compete in a free-for-all three days after the cup, they are left knackered for a couple of months afterwards.

“There’s no way Copy That will start in the free-for-all. He has Miracle Miles and all sorts of other races to target. I’m not going to gut him by racing him twice down there.”

TOMORROW: What punters are betting on.