Trainer Ray Green is happy to set Copy That a mission impossible at Alexandra Park tomorrow night for the bigger goal of defending his New Zealand Cup title.
Copy That will start off a 55m back mark in the 2200m feature pace and while he only has to give Hot And Treacherous, the other established open-class pacer in the race, a 15m start, the numbers don't look good.
Quality pacers such as Raven Banner, Taipo and Last Tango In Heaven (20m) get 35m from Copy That and are capable of pacing 2:43 for the standing start 2200m. If any of the trio do that Copy That would have to pace 2:40 to win, coming around horses.
Green knows that is unlikely but says this run is about getting Copy That hitting the line hard after a strange Victorian campaign.
"He has travelled home well and needs the run so we might as well start here rather than go to the trials against nothing, but he won't be over-driven," says Green.