Copy That clears out but his quick recovery’s the real pointer to Taylor Mile chances

It wasn’t Copy That’s five and a half length winning margin, or even his 55.2 last half that had trainer Ray Green fizzing at Pukekohe today.

Rather it was about 10 minutes after the horse’s workout, when the horse was in the wash bay, that Green knew his horse was ready.

The reading of 73 on Green’s heart rate monitor told him everything he needed to know about Copy That’s chances in Friday’s $95,000 Taylor Mile.

“He’s pulled up in excellent shape. His heart rate was down to 73 and that’s the only true linear guide to a horse’s fitness.

“That reading is pretty normal for him but for other horses it would be exceptional. That’s why he’s so good.”

Maurice McKendry’s report on Copy That: ‘He’s back!”Copy That faced only two rivals in his 2050 metre heat today - Dance Time and Need You Now - and Green made sure driver Maurice McKendry tested the horse.

A week earlier Copy That finished a lacklustre second to his sole workout rival Darling Me, McKendry reporting the horse felt like he needed the run.

“I told Maurice not to pussy foot round and to give the horse a decent hitout,” Green said. “We’re in a Group One race next week so he needed to do a bit so we could see where we’re at.”

The early stages of today’s heat were fairly tame, but when leader Dance Time started running out of juice 700 metres out, McKendry whipped up from the rear to take the lead, which he held for the rest of the heat.

Copy That was full of running at the line, five and a half lengths clear of Need You Now, clocking swift closing sectionals of 55.2 and 26.8 for a mile rate of 1:59.4.

“When Maurice showed him daylight he was in a different class. We know he’s got speed but when Maurice came back his first two words were: ‘He’s back!

“He said he felt like a different horse. We’re in good shape.”

Sugar Apple … American Dealer’s half brother is showing promise.Earlier, talented two-year-old Sugar Apple surprised Green by winning his first workout back from a break under the watchful eye of part-owner Trevor Casey.

Sugar Apple took on seven rivals, including stablemate Louie The Punter, who missed a race on Friday night when the last two races at Auckland were called off because of a power blackout in the suburb.

Driver Zachary Butcher led early then took a trail on Sugar Apple until he was forced 600 metres out to extricate the horse from behind weakening leader Tennessee Honey.

In the meantime Louie The Punter zipped round to the front and over the last quarter the Lincoln Farms pair cleared right out, Sugar Apple coming off his stablemate’s back to score by a head. John Wayne was best of the rest, two and a half lengths astern.

The 2050 metre heat was run in 2:36.5, a mile rate of 2:02.9, with the last 800 in 57.8 and 400 in 28.3.

“I wasn’t expecting him to go that well,” Green said of Sugar Apple, a half brother to the stable’s classy American Dealer.

“He got a bit keen and over-raced so he was getting a bit tired at the finish but it was his first run since February.”

Sugar Apple showed plenty of ability in his first campaign, having a torrid run on debut when three wide to the death, then he surprisingly weakened from the trail in his last run on February 5.

“He was a bit tired that night, coming to the end of it. He still lacks a bit of strength but he’s got ability. Based on his run today he’s not far away but to be fair to him I’ll probably give him one more trial. I’ll just have to see what races are coming up for him.”

Sugar Apple is raced with Lincoln Farms by Casey, his Alexandra Park Lone Star restaurant manager Matt Hooper, Miami’s Gordon Banks and Marc Hanover, Grant Dickey, Duncan Chisholm’s Chissos and Wack syndicate, Ian Kedzlie, and the Green Machine syndicate.

Recent dual winner Captain Nemo finished fourth in his 2050 metre heat but was only two and a half lengths behind winner Darling Me.

The Captaintreacherous three-year-old was driven by Todd MacFarlane, trialling the horse for a potential sale to the United States.

“He went right-handed no problem and Todd said he couldn’t fault what he did.”