Ray Coupland has plans to import an Australian-based team for a crack at his own feature race during the New Zealand Cup carnival.

The Christchurch-based businessman and major thoroughbred owner and supporter is keen to bring Coup Ay Tee back from Sydney for the G2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile on November 13.

“He’s going very well over there and won more than $600,000,” Coupland said.  “If suitable transport is available, I would also like to bring Chris (Waller) over here, he’s a celebrity and I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

Coup Ay Tee is named after Brisbane race caller Allan Thomas.  “Allan’s a good friend and I would like to have him at Riccarton to complete the party,” Coupland said.  “He can also commentate on the race.”

Bred and raced by Coupland with his wife Jill, the Curraghmore Stud-raised Coup Ay Tee won two of his three New Zealand starts from Michael Pitman’s yard before transferring to Waller.

He has won a further seven races there, including the G3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup at his latest appearance.

Coupland’s best result in Riccarton’s feature metric mile was a third placing by the Peter and Dawn Williams-trained Coup Entrepreneur in 2006.   “He was a good horse and came from near last and got beaten two necks,” he said.  “This is the ninth time I’ve sponsored the race and it’s the richest mile race ($230,000) in New Zealand – we’re trying to get it to a Group 1.”

Coupland is also hopeful of also running Ididit, a mare he races with her breeder the Dowager Duchess of Bedford.  Trained at Matamata by Graham Richardson, she has won 4 of her 13 starts and was a winner at Tuesday’s Te Teko trials.

“I raced Coup Bloomsbury out of the same mare (Winds Of Conquest) and the Duchess asked me to come in as a partner and carry on racing the breed together and we’ve become good friends.”