A horse who was a maiden when Copy That won the New Zealand Cup nine months ago could rain on his parade at Alexandra Park tonight.
Old Town Road has won only five races compared with Copy That's 24 victories but their workout performances last week and handicaps tonight suggestOld Town Road can beat the pacer in their 2200m clash.
Copy That downed Self Assured and South Coast Arden in the Cup at Addington but fractured a leg bone in Victoria the following month so will be having his first start in eight months in race eight.
He looked forward enough to resume but was outpointed by Old Town Road in their workout at Pukekohe last week, and while Old Town Road had a head start on him then, he gets the same tonight.
Old Town Road looked sharper than Copy That last week, sprinting away from him at the top of the straight.
Although he starts off a 10m handicap it is doubtful the three horses on the front line would have the speed to hold out Old Town Road if he came looking for the front.
Driver Zachary Butcher has a foot in both camps, working for Copy That's trainer Ray Green but driving Old Town Road, and he rates his chances of winning.
"Copy That is obviously a great horse but I have thought Old Town Road was an open-class horse since I first drove him," says Butcher.
"I think with the way the handicaps are and their fitness I get my shot this week. It is going to be a tough year for Old Town Road as he is going to need to learn to race with those good horses but this week we get a decent head start."
Copy That can still win but backing horses fresh-up after long breaks, starting off big handicaps in 2200m races at Alexandra Park, is a near guaranteed way to lose money.
A similar problem faces veteran Temporale in the main trot because while he has had a lot more recent racing than Copy That, he faces a massive 55m backmark over 2200m.
That means unless his rivals drivers dawdle and hand the race to him, he may need to do something freakish to win, especially coming wide over the last lap.
Tonight's meeting also features the return of high class juvenile pacing fillies Kahlua Flybye and Forever Me in race five. Both are trained by Steve Telfer who thinks Kahlua Flybye is the better winning chance.
