COPPERMALT

10 year old bay gelding by Affirmed, out of Poppy Carew

  Collective Dreamers

Follow this link to see Coppermalt's career in the Racing Post form database: RACING POST FORM

COPPERMALT GALLERY  All the action from his wins on 17th Sep and 17th Nov and second on 9th Nov 2006

Mar08: Coppermalt has had a break over the winter, as he does not handle the mud well, and dislikes the all-weather (gallops on it fine, the races are just too crowded). He is building up to a return in March, where there are a couple of hurdle races for him in Festival week. Recently, he has been full of zest, bucking off Joe Baker as they passed Paul Blockley's yard. He ought to old enough to know better (Coppermalt, that is), but is not!

Apr07: Has returned from a break with a couple of defeats, but the ground was completely unworkable for at Taunton, and he came close to nasty injury next time, a cut missing the tendon sheath quite narrowly. Conditions are slowly turning in his favour.

Nov06: Another win for Coppermalt, again with a visor, over 2 miles at Plumpton, with Charlie Studd riding and seven other runners. Quite a fussy formula, but it is working. He had been put up 5 pounds for coming second when Tom Copeland rode at Taunton, but it showed no sign of holding him back - plus he handled ground that we felt was borderline in it's suitability, with perhaps a tiny edge to the negative!

Oct06: Coppermalt was not able to follow up his win as the ground had gone against him, despite what the official going report may have said! With hindsight, we should have withdrawn him, and the extra frustration was that after being raised 12 pounds for the Plumpton win, he was dropped a colossal one pound for ending up 10th.

Sep06: Win number two!! With the visor on for the first time, he led early on and whizzed lickety split around Plumpton to win by six and thirteen lengths. Although only a seller, his time was good enough for second in the £15,000 race just run before his, and if the headgear keeps working, he ought to remain competitive from his current mark when getting things his own way.

Jul06: Won best turned out again, on the flat at Folkestone, but may have rested on the laurels of that accolade a little in the race - which was a sharp mile and a half for him - and will be blinkered next time.

Best turned out is basking in the sunset, Fontwell, May 5th

May06: Made a reasonable go of it over hurdles in a big field at Fontwell, but is capable of better if he gets the run of the race in future.

Mar06: Had a very near miss at Lingfield, wearing down the leaders a furlong out and then being mugged on the line in most unsporting fashion by two finishing very strongly from off of the pace.

Jan06: He has been competing with credit on the all-weather, but run well without winning. The latest run was foiled when he needed two to drop out ahead of him for a run at Wolverhampton, but got balloted out! Overall, only 1 of the 28 entries failed to declare for the race (memo to track: could be a case for more staying races at banded meetings).

Oct05: So far, Coppermalt has managed one win for us, in a seller at Stratford - the only win of his career - but he has put up a variety of creditable efforts in non-selling company. He did slightly surprise us, as everything that we knew about him suggested that he was not excessively imbued with stamina, and even on the gallops he shapes like a horse that would be best at middle distances on the flat and not much more than the bare minimum over hurdles. Nobody has mentioned this to Coppermalt himself, as the win came at 2m 6f, and he has made the frame at trips as far as three and a quarter miles. He recently made his all-weather debut, and posted a satisfactory performance, so further visits to Lingfield and Wolverhampton are on the cards. He has run over fences for us, but after a solid start, his confidence has gone in that area - perhaps due to some unfortunate experiences when pointing - so that is not currently on the agenda.

This could be the first horse we have had in the yard sired by an American triple crown winner - the stud fees must have cost the earth! A new arrival for the Collective Dreamers partnership. He has had an interesting career so far, to say the least. He showed some promise on the flat for Peter Harris, placed without winning, and was sent then to Philip Hobbs for a spell juvenile hurdling. Philip reported that despite being placed on his debut, he did not stay two miles at that early stage. Back he went to Peter Harris, and connections went for a gamble on him at Hamilton that was foiled by a late deluge that rendered the ground soft. After this, he was amazingly tried pointing, being runner-up in a two and a half mile maiden, but faring predictably less well at three miles. He was also hampered by a niggling injury, and it is likely that two miles over hurdles will be about right for him. 

Tom and Coppermalt in perfect disharmony as to which way to go when leaving the paddock at Plumpton. Fortunately they worked better as a team in the race.

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