Wanted: The ideal home for Copy That to stand at stud - Will he go to a Kiwi or Aussie buyer?

The hunt is on to find a new home for retired champion pacer Copy That at stud.

And, while owners Merv and Meg Butterworth have already had overtures from one New Zealand stud, the Melbourne veteran says he could see the horse ending up in Australia.

“If you search the records for New Zealand, Australia and the United States you’ll see he’s the most successful son of American Ideal and, now that he is in a paddock in the sky, Copy That is the obvious one to take his place.

“In New Zealand, buyers never seemed to pursue American Ideal’s stock at the yearling sales but in Australia he’s had a lot of winners, the most probably in Western Australia,” Merv Butterworth said.

“I’m sure a good stud would like to buy him to stand in their own name. It’s just a shame it didn’t happen a month ago at the start of the breeding season before many broodmare owners made their choices.”

Butterworth, who is in Ireland for the launch of the Traditional Irish Horse Eventing League which his company Decron Horse Care has sponsored, said when he fielded a call from Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green at 1.15am he knew it would not be good news.

“But it came as no surprise. I was always expecting it. We knew we were battling against reality.

“When your horse doesn’t have sufficient cartilage in his knee you’d be foolish to expect too much. We did everything possible, no stone was left unturned, but you can’t imitate cartilage.”

Butterworth, who has won more than 1000 races as an owner, and is used to the knocks that go with racing horses, said he didn’t make a habit of looking back too much.

But, asked what race he’ll remember as Copy That’s greatest, he said none beat his New Zealand Trotting Cup wins, especially the second one in 2022 as Covid restrictions prevented them from being at Addington the previous year.

“But the one that really stands out is the one that they stuffed up at the start”, the 2021 cup shemozzle costing Copy That any chance of being a triple cup winner.

“He won so many races, it’s all a bit of a blur, really, but he’s absolutely the best horse we’ve had. Arden Rooney wasn’t far behind him. He won a New Zealand Cup and the best race in Victoria, the Hunter Cup, but Copy That was more exciting.

“It’s very hard to get your hands on a horse like him but he had nothing left to prove. He was the people’s horse and a champion.”

Butterworth won’t be home until the end of the month by which time he hopes his next star might be in orbit. The Big Lebowski, making his own comeback from injury, showed he was ready to resume in the Spring Cup at Auckland on Friday week when winning his first workout back last Thursday.