Squealing Copy That hardly turns a hair after 6200km journey from NZ to WA
June, 2025 By Barry Lichter
If Copy That throws even some of his great temperament into his progeny, they can’t help but be successful racehorses, says experienced horsewoman Mags Anderson.
Anderson wasn’t in the least bit surprised at news that Copy That had arrived in Western Australia in tip top condition after a gruelling 3500km road trip from Melbourne.
Anderson looked after Copy That for three days after his flight from Auckland at IRT’s stopover at Kerrie, 45 minutes outside Melbourne and she was continually amazed at just how easy it was to deal with the stallion. “You couldn’t fault his temperament. We’ve had a lot of stallions here, both standardbred and thoroughbred, and it’s hard to remember anything quieter.”
Anderson, who spent 10 years at New Zealand’s premier thoroughbred nursery, Cambridge Stud, described Copy That as a lovely horse.
“He doesn’t stress about anything. He hoes into his feed and you can do anything with him. You can pat him and he never lays his ears back.
“My 17-year-old son Johnny was leading him in and out of his paddock. His temperament is fantastic and if he does throw that to his progeny they can’t help but succeed.”
The first thing that struck Anderson about Copy That was how vocal he was and, last Wednesday when Combined Horse Transport’s truck arrived to pick him up, he boarded with the same farewell call.
Though a seasoned traveller, Copy That had what Combined’s operation manager John Kane described as the longest road trip in the world ahead of him.
The first leg was a mere 10-and-a-half hour jaunt along the Western Highway to Adelaide, where he rested in quarantine for 12 hours.
But the second leg, a 24-hour marathon to Kalgoorlie, was a real test for both the horse and his drivers.
Kane, who drove the route himself for 10 years, says from Ceduna, the gateway to the Nullabor, there are no towns for 1200km until you reach Norseman.
“There’s nothing, not even a tree, except for roadhouses every couple of hundred kilometres where you can get petrol and food.”
One famous 146.6km stretch is signposted as the longest straight road in Australia.
“From the time you leave Port Augustus ’til you get to Kalgoorlie there is nowhere to offload a horse as good as Copy That but we stop every four hours to check on the horses, refresh their water and feed, and change drivers.”
Fans on the truck circulate air every five minutes to keep the temperature at a constant 22 to 23 degrees Celcius.
Kane, who landed a few winners as a highweight rider in WA in the 1970s, says the journey isn’t for everyone and some of his drivers have lasted only six months.
“You couldn’t do it without a passion for horses. I’ve got no interest in trucks. If not for the horses, I wouldn’t be doing it.”
Taking turns at the wheel for Copy That’s trip, Combined’s owner Glen Day said the dual New Zealand Trotting Cup winner was one right out of the box.
Unlike most stallions, Copy That was unperturbed about stepping off the truck in a strange place.
On reaching Kalgoorlie, a gold mining town of nearly 30,000, he didn’t turn a hair.
“When most colts and stallions get off the truck they go to town, flying like a kite at the end of the rope, but he was very well natured.”
And after a welcome 12-hour rest, when the horses were vet checked at the agriculture centre, it was off on the last big leg, an eight-hour drive to Perth.
From there, Copy That had a short 150km trip south to Benger to his final stop, Westover Boutique Agistment, nestled in the foot hills of the Darling Scarp.
And after more than 6200km of travelling from Auckland, and two and a half days on the road, Day said Copy That came down the ramp like he was returning home, looking around, almost as if bored, until letting out his trademark call to let everyone know he was there.
Westover manager Jeff Roberts couldn’t get over how good Copy That looked.
“Everything was under lights as he didn’t get here ’til 8.30pm but he looked magnificent, so he obviously travelled well.”
And any misgivings Roberts had about looking after another stallion were quickly dissipated when he put him into his yard.
“I was a bit concerned because we have one other stallion here who’s a bit of a handful but he’s been a perfect gentleman.
“He’s super friendly and we buddied him up with an old gelding alongside.”
Given Copy That’s trainer Ray Geen declared the horse wouldn’t worry if he was landed on Mars, and would immediately be looking for his feed bin, it was hardly surprising he let out a few big squeals when turned out into one of Westover’s lush green paddocks, renowned for some of the best grazing in the state.
NZ superstar Copy That to stand at stud in WA
April, 2025 By Peter Wharton
Copy That, one of Australasia’s best racehorses of his generation, a six-time Group One winner and holder of a string of track and race records, will stand at stud at Murray Veterinary Services, West Coolup, near Perth (WA) this spring.
The champion’s spectacular CV includes victories in two New Zealand Cups to go with triumphs in town hall company in the $1million The Race By Grins, Taylor Mile, NZ Messenger, Ballarat Pacing Cup and Queensland’s Sunshine Sprint.
Copy That’s second NZ Cup win was also historic as he recorded 3:54 for 3200 metres, the third fastest time in the Cup’s history.
Copy That raced exclusively at the elite level throughout his five-year career. He won seven of his 12 starts as a three-year-old including the Alabar 3YO Classic, the Vero Flying Stakes and a prelude of the Great Northern Derby and looked to have the NZ Derby at his mercy until racing was stopped owing to COVID.
As a four-year-old he won 15 of his 26 outings and $778,664 – the highest earnings for the season – and was awarded NZ 4YO Horse of the Year.
The following season he earned $436,539 and in his final year of competition he banked $617,535 – another season’s high in NZ.
In all, Copy That won 33 races with 18 placings from 68 starts for $2,019,937 – an amazing $30,000 per start.
Possessed of unlimited stamina and blinding speed, he won over all distances from 1609 to 3200 metres on all-sized tracks with his lifetime record of 1:52 being put up over 1700 metres at Alexandra Park.
Among the top performers that Copy That met and defeated were King Of Swing ($3.3m), Self Assured ($2.4m), Amazing Dream ($1.9m), Spankem ($1.8m) , Lochinvar Art ($1.6m), Spirit Of St Louis ($1.4m), Akuta ($1.1m), Thefixer ($1m), I Cast No Shadow and Honolua Bay.
Four-time Inter Dominion-winning reinsman Anthony Butt was full of praise for Copy That.
“I haven’t driven too many horses faster than him. Very few horses in Australasia could have won the Wondai’s Mate from where he was in the running. And he picked them up so quickly, showing unbelievable speed.”
Blair Orange, the winner of seven NZ driving premierships, said: “He was right up with the best horses I’ve driven. You could drive him however you felt you needed to and, even when you drove him badly, he made you look good. He raced every year at the top level and just got better and better.”
Ray Green, who trained Copy That throughout his career and developed and trained King Of Swing and the Auckland Cup winner Sir Lincoln, stated: “Copy That fits every superlative you can think of. He was the whole package. He had speed and toughness, but most of all the greatest constitution and resilience.”
Blessed with all attributes necessary for stallion greatness, Copy That carries an impeccable pedigree made up of champion sires, champion broodmare sires and champion racehorses.
With a tally of $2 million, Copy That is the richest ever son of the champion USA colt pacer American Ideal (1:47.8), the sire of the winners of more than $230 million worldwide with 88 in the 1:50 list.
A member of the dominant Western Hanover sireline, American Ideal was a Top Ten sire in North America for more than a decade, has been among the top six horses on the Australian sires’ list for the last nine years and the second leading sire in WA on four occasions.
On his dam’s side Copy That comes from a family which has made a real impact on the NZ breeding scene.
His dam, Lively Nights, has left four winners – all inside 2:00 – from as many starters, while his grand-dam White Nights has three winners from three to race.
In the back removes of Copy That’s pedigree are top pacers the calibre of Luxury Liner, Christopher Vance and Lady Clare, all NZ Cup winners, the A. G. Hunter Cup winner Surprise Package and the WA stars Maczaffair and Precious Dylan.
A grand individual standing 15.2 hands, Copy That is a young stallion – he was foaled in 2016 – with the bloodlines, racing performance and conformation to commend him to the most discriminating breeder.
Copy That will stand in 2025 at an introductory fee of $4,600 including GST.
SIX GROUP ONE WINS
Decron Horse Care to manage stud career of champion NZ pacer
Decron Horse Care is thrilled to announce that it is the proud manager of one of New Zealand’s most celebrated pacing stallions, Copy That, who will be standing at stud in Western Australia for the upcoming breeding season.
A true champion of the track, Copy That has carved out a remarkable legacy in harness racing, with a career defined by blistering speed, exceptional stamina, and a fierce competitive spirit. Among his many accolades, the son of American Ideal is best known for his dual New Zealand Trotting Cup victories and consistent top-tier performances against Australasia’s finest.
Now, as Copy That transitions into his highly anticipated stud career, breeders across Australia and beyond will have the rare opportunity to access elite bloodlines backed by proven performance. Decron is honoured to be entrusted with managing this next chapter in Copy That’s journey.
Decron: “His achievements on the racetrack speak volumes, and we believe his legacy as a sire will be just as impressive. We’re proud to play a key role in bringing his potential to breeders in Australia.”
With bookings expected to fill quickly, Decron encourages interested breeders to secure their mares’ bookings early.