Country Championship specialist Mack Griffith will head into Sunday’ Central Districts heat with the two best horses in the field after nominations for the Mudgee showcase were taken on Tuesday.
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As expected, Griffith threw the highly rated Schedule into the ring but surprised many with the inclusion of five-year-old Most Exalted.
The brown gelding hasn’t raced since winning a $100,000 handicap at Rosehill as a $16 outsider last July, a race that was Most Exalted’s 20th career start.
Under championship rules, horses are only eligible to run in a country heat if rated a Class 5 or below and have 20 or less starts prior to contesting the regional qualifier.
The rule forced Griffith to spell Most Exalted for 25 weeks, with just two trials under his belt in the lead-up.
Griffith concedes both of his chances are going in a little under done – Schedule hasn’t raced since running third at Muswellbrook in December – but says some decent trial form and outstanding wins against Sydney-class fields should ensure he’s on track to claim a third Central Districts heat win, after previously taking out the race in two of the championship’s three years.
I think we’ve got the best two horses in the field by a fair way, we’ll be hard to beat.
- Mudgee trainer Mack Griffith
Griffth won with Binalong Road (2015) at Bathurst and then Pera Pera (2016) at Wellington when the heat was worth $100,000 – Sunday’s qualifier is worth $150,000.
“I think we’ve got the best two horses in the field by a fair way, we’ll be hard to beat,” the pre-training manager at Mudgee’s Gooree Park Stud said.
“They’ll definitely both run, both first up ... but they’ve trialed well so they haven’t just been sitting in a paddock. Based on past form they’ll be hard to beat.”
Griffith’s duo headline a hugely impressive championship field set to run in Mudgee’s crackerjack eight race program with a whopping $370,000 in prizemoney on offer.
Cameron Crockett (four) and Dean Mirfin (three) have multiple entries, while Brett Thompson, Danny Parsons, Lee Van Den Bos and last year’s winning trainer David Smith each have two.
Although Smith’s champion Distinctive Look isn’t one of them after pulling up sore at a trial at Narromine.
Smith’s best hope is Stilettoed Vixen, she’s in form with a strong trial run at Randwick last week.
Griffith said Stilettoed Vixen was probably his stable’s biggest rival leading into the money race at Mudgee on Sunday: “She’s a Sydney-class horse,” he added.
Sunday’s championship heat is the first time Mudgee has hosted the qualifier.
“It’d be great to get a win at my new home town. Should be a good day,” Griffith said.