Ray: It’s a waiting game now but hopefully it’s only bruising affecting Copy That

Trainer Ray Green is hoping it’s only bruising causing Copy That’s lameness but it’s likely he’ll take the horse to the Ballarat Veterinary Clinic tomorrow to get a firm diagnosis.

Green called the vet earlier today after finding Copy That could barely put his foot to the ground after kicking a rail in his paddock.

“There’s no swelling and no real heat, just a sore spot where he’s kicked the rail,” Green said tonight. “Whether it’s just bruising we don’t know yet.

“We’ve given him an anti-inflammatory to see if that helps. Hopefully he’s better in the morning. If he’s no better, we’ll take him to the Ballarat Clinic - they’ve got an MRI scanner there if we need it.”

Renowned (now retired) vet Dr Alastair MacLean recommended the visit to the clinic, 110km from Romsey, where the horse is stabled.

Copy That in a quiet moment at Lincoln Farms. He is thought to have kicked a rail in his paddock at Romsey in Victoria today. PHOTO: Trish Dunell.“If it’s just a bruise, it should resolve quite quickly and hopefully that’s all it is. There’s nothing there to suggest it’s anything more at this point.

“But the worst case scenario is that it could be a fractured or broken splint bone, which wouldn’t be terrible either.”

The sore spot is in an area high up under the hock, Green said.

While Copy That isn’t bouncing around he’s not totally incapacitated.

“He finds it difficult to push off on that leg but he can bear weight on it. I walked him for 10 minutes and he got better and better.

“But when I put him away and came back in an hour to see what it was like, he was lame again.

“We don’t know what’s causing it yet, we’re just guessing, and it’s a waiting game now.

“Sometimes these things can resolve themselves without you even knowing what’s caused it.

“These things can happen at any time. They’re athletic animals and he was feeling so good. If you locked some horses in a padded cell they’d still find a way to hurt themselves.”

Green said while he was worried it was not all doom and gloom just yet.

“I’m no bereft and if it is just bruising we’ve got plenty of time up our sleeve. This race (tonight’s Sokyola Sprint) wasn’t our main target. We still have two weeks ’til the Bendigo Cup and if we can’t run in that, the Ballarat Cup is two weeks later.”