Ray Green with Copy That … “If you locked some horses in a padded cell they’d still find a way to hurt themselves.”
Ray: It’s a waiting game now but hopefully it’s only bruising affecting Copy That
By Barry Lichter • 26 December 2021
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.”
More news in Harness
Spiritual Bliss notches hat-trick and pushes Lincoln Farms’ season tally to record 43
Hubby nearly in the dog box after Tyson delivers Debbie a Golden Gait knockout blow
Debbie lands Golden draw at last in her bid to give Sampson a haircut at the Park
Spiritual Bliss and Lincoln Maree add to Lincoln Farms’ gallery of Manawatu heroes
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Wednesday at Cambridge
Race 3: Spiritual Bliss
1.10pm
“You can’t fault what she’s done up here and she’s trained on really well since Manawatu. She seems to have a good motor and can carry her speed a long way. It’s a bit of a step-up on Wednesday, and she’s drawn out a bit, but she should be right in the fray.”
Race 4: Lincoln Lover
1.45pm
“It’s a huge drop in class for him on what he’s been racing. The Purdon horse Crippa Max looks the one to beat on his trial but I’m picking we’ll finish in the first three at worst. He’s very honest and does nothing wrong.”
Race 6: Lincoln Downs
2.55pm
“She got skittled early last time when one galloped in front of her, and that didn’t help. It would be nice to see her get a good trip, with no incidents, and see what she can do. She’s no superstar but she tries hard.”
Race 9: Leo Lincoln
4.31pm
“It’s his first race for more than four months and I’m picking he’ll need the run. It was a toss-up whether we went to the trials, but he’d probably have had no opposition, so it made sense to drop him in here. He’s training well and seems in good shape but whatever he does, he’ll improve on.”
