Ray confident Copy That will be on his A game next week after some routine maintenance

Expect Copy That to be right on his game when he contests the $22,500 Holmes DG at Auckland on Friday night.

Second favourite for the New Zealand Cup, Copy That gave a start of 20 metres to his rivals and finished only fourth at Friday’s Pukekohe workouts but trainer Ray Green saw enough to convince him he’ll be a better version this week.

Green had some vet work done on the horse after he narrowly went under in the Spring Cup last week after driver Maurice McKednry was pushed out four wide turning for home.

“He obviously wasn’t 100 percent sound last week, and that’s why he scrambled round the corners a bit, but we’ve rectified that.

“We did some maintenance work on him during the week and, while it wouldn’t have fully kicked in yet, Maurice said he felt much better.

“He cornered a bit better - he still wasn’t 100 percent round that last bend but it’s pretty tight - and when Maurice pulled the plugs he really dug in and was picking them up nicely.”

Ray Green … “I expect him to be pretty good next week.”Three back on the outer turning for home, Copy That closed within a length and a half of all-the-way winner Bad To The Bone, noticeably quickening when the plugs were pulled 100 metres out.

With Bad To The Bone timed to close from the 800 in 56.6 and the 400 in 26.2, Copy That would have paced under 26.

The overall time for the standing 2500 metres, 3:13.4, was also 3.2 seconds faster than his workout before the Spring Cup.

“I expect him to be pretty good next week,” Green said.

The Holmes DG is run over 2700 metres from a stand with a maximum back mark of 30 metres.

At the post Copy That was hot on the heels of his stablemates with Tommy Lincoln half a length second, American Dealer a length back third, after trailing, and Copy That a nose further away.

“American Dealer is a proper pro and finished it off well.

“I’ll nominate him for Friday and just see where he fits in. But I don’t want him to have a killer run before the Sires’ Stakes heat at Cambridge the following week.”

Green was also pleased with Tommy Lincoln.

“He always puts in. He hasn’t quite got his head round the standing start yet - he scrambled away at the start - but that was only his second time.”

Apieceoflou was also a little erratic just after the start of his mobile 2050 metre heat, galloping for a few strides when in the trail, but he settled quickly for David Butcher and went on to finish a good second to Colin Bromac.

“David wasn’t worried about the start and didn’t push him out in any way.”

The heat was run in 2:38, a mile rate of 2:04, with the closing 800 in 58.1 and 400 in 27.3.

Captain Nemo … will get an easier assignment on Friday.Captain Nemo, who will get an easier task on Friday than last week’s Harness Million, did everything Butcher wanted in his 2050 metre heat, run much faster in 2:33.3.

After trailing in fourth spot, Butcher moved into the running line a lap from home and challenged at the top of the home straight.

At the post he was only half a length and a head behind winner Smokinhotcheddar (Andre Poutama) and Sky Delight (Crystal Hackett).

Stablemate Revitalise (Andrew Drake) found the 26.7 last quarter beyond him and only battled to beat one home.

The leaders ran the heat in a 2:00.3 mile rate, home in 57.

Bondi Shake led his three-horse maiden heat but had no answer to Derek Balle’s Art Noveau who got home by half length.

The 2050 metre heat was run in a tame mile rate of 2:06.9, the 800 in 59 and 400 in 27.4.

“He lacks a yard of speed to be top drawer,” Green said.