The jury’s still out on whether Copy That can come back to try to win a third Trotting Cup for owners Merv and Meg Butterworth. PHOTO: Ajay Berry.
Copy That has surgery and starts recovery but no answer yet to the $64,000 question
By Barry Lichter • 10 December 2023
It could be March before we’ll know if Copy That has recovered well enough to make a return to the racetrack.
The dual New Zealand Trotting Cup winner had surgery at the Ballarat Veterinary Practice in Victoria last Thursday when worn bone and cartilage and fragments were removed from his knee.
The horse will be confined to a small box at the nearby Dowling View Equine Centre for the next three weeks before being moved to a small yard for another five weeks, allowed out for twice-daily walks.
Owner Merv Butterworth said dependant on good results from scans Copy That would then be flown home to begin his rehabilitation with five weeks on a water walker.
Only at that stage, after further testing, would a call be made on the horse’s future.
“If all is well and Copy That is given the green light to proceed with full time training, it will be 13 weeks from now before he is seen and heard again at Lincoln Farms.
“Here’s hoping that the significant fighting power that Copy That has shown to date will help him through this recovery stage.”
Dr Brian Anderson is overseeing Copy That’s treatment at Ballarat.It is the second time that Ballarat vet Dr Brian Anderson has overseen the treatment and recovery of Copy That, after his initial injury in December, 2021 when he fractured a splint bone.
Since that episode Copy That has won a second New Zealand Trotting Cup, a $1 million Race By Grins and more than $1 million in prizemoney, giving Lincoln Farms’ trainer Ray Green plenty of hope that he can make another comeback.
“He came through that first drama great so we know he can do it,” Green said. “But he is a little older now and has a bit of wear and tear which may necessitate a different programme for him.
“We don’t really know for sure the prognosis. All we can do is press on and follow the programme.
“Everyone has had horses with this kind of injury, it’s quite common. If the cartilage has been compromised too much that can cause problems down the road but these days there are medications to keep them on track.”
Cartilage, which protects the bone by absorbing some of the force placed on the horse’s legs, is a poor healer by itself. But there are various medications that help cartilage regenerate.
“I’m sure he’ll be on everything we can put him on,” Green said.
“My gut feeling is that if nothing else goes wrong, we’re in good shape. If there’d been something sinister the MRI scan would have sussed it.
“As soon as he’s done the water treadmill work we should be able to assess him properly. Until then we’re just guessing but, knowing the horse, I’m optimistic.
“Unless something catastrophic happens I’m sure he’ll come back - to what level we don’t know yet. But we want him firing on all eight cylinders.”
The horse’s myriad of fans will be hoping that happens and he can tilt at a record-equalling third New Zealand Trotting Cup next November.
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Ray’s comments
Friday night at Cambridge
Race 1: Spirited Belle
4.46pm
Delany: “I saw she’d been punted but somebody must know something we don’t as I’ve been working her myself and, while she feels all right and hasn’t put the boot in like at Auckland, I think she’ll need the run. She hasn’t got any high speed but feels like she will stay. She has improved a bit but I’d be surprised if she won.”
Race 1: Lincoln Maree
4.46pm
“It’s always hard from these draws but she’s a tough mare who will make her own luck at some stage. She’s going well enough - her drivers have all been happy - and she’s a little warrior who tries like hell.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.12pm
“He’s only two and very inexperienced but he feels like a good colt and there’s a lot of improvement in him. He certainly caught a lot of people’s attention last time. I don’t know how good he is yet but he’ll be right there.”
Race 2: Prince Lincoln
5.12pm
“If he can lead without having to do too much work I can’t see anything beating him. I thought he went great last start. He pressed the winner hard ’til the corner then just flattened out in the run home, but he had every reason to do that after all the work he’d done.”
Race 4: Spirit Of God
6.12pm
“She’s been undone by bad draws. If she led easily from three she’d be hard to beat as she’s a good front-runner.”
Race 4: Spirited Peggy
6.12pm
“We’ve had her for only two weeks but she’s seven now and has had her chance to win one. She has a bit of speed but I think she gets pulling so we’ve got the Hidez (compression) hood on her and plugged her ears up.”
Race 6: Copy N Paste
7.10pm
“We won’t see the best of him for another six months. He’s been a slow developing horse but is improving all the time and getting stronger.”
Race 6: Jessie Lincoln
7.10pm
“If I was having a bet on one of them in the race it would be her. She deserves to win one. Her last two have been really good - she just ran into one who was a bit slicker last time in Major Copy.”
Race 6: Lincoln Dealer
7.10pm
“He’s a bit one-dimensional - you’ve got to feed him track and let him run - so the second row draw is a big handicap. To his credit I was surprised he finished so close last time after all the work he did. When he gets a decent draw and crosses them they’ll know they’re at the races. He’s got a big motor and tries hard.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.08pm
“She clawed her way to the front last time but had nothing left at the finish. That won’t happen this time and she should lead easily from one.”
Race 8: Angelic Copy
8.08pm
“She’s had terrible draws but has been going good races. The others last time were just better than her but this is a big drop in class. With the right trip she could get some of it at huge odds.”
Race 9: Sugar Ray Lincoln
8.35pm
“He’s not quick away from a stand but he won’t muff it completely. He steps from the front line and Peter Ferguson was quite happy with his last run.”
Race 9: Lincoln Wave
8.35pm
“He bombed the stand the first time but to be fair all those horses were rushing up at him from the back and that panicked him a bit. He’s on 10 metres this time so that won’t happen.”
