The Yanks are trying to buy Copy That.
Owner Merv Butterworth confirmed US interests had offered “serious money” for Copy That following his win over King Of Swing in the Group 1 Sunshine Sprint at Albion Park last Saturday night.
“There’s been plenty of negotiating and it’s great to see so much interest in him, but, in the end, the offer wasn’t attractive enough for us to sell the best horse we’ve ever had,” he said.
While Butterworth preferred to keep the size of the offer private, it is understood it valued Copy That at well over $1 million.
“I’m not going into the finer details, but it was a big offer, but not big enough when push came to shove for us to sell him,” Butterworth said.
“It wasn’t simple as an offer of dollars to buy him straight-out, there were a few layers to it.
“He’s given us so many great times and the way he’s racing in Queensland, his best may still be ahead. We think he can win a lot of the money they offered in races over the next year or so.”
Copy That faces a harder task to beat King Of Swing again this week with the dual Miracle Mile winner drawn the pole and almost a certain leader.
Beyond this week, Butterworth is contemplating leaving Copy That in Queensland’s warmer weather for a short spell before returning to NZ.
“He’ll just have a short break before we get him ready for the NZ Cup,” Butterworth said.
The owner emphatically ruled-out contesting the NSW Inter Dominion in November/December.
“No, I won’t put him through that. I don’t think the stakemoney is high enough to race him four times in two weeks and expect him to do all that travel between Sydney, Bathurst and Newcastle,” Butterworth said.
“His Australian targets are more likely to be races the Hunter Cup and Miracle Mile.”
