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By Geoff Newling

Mack Griffith is hoping to use Thursday’s $30,000 Concrete Industry Supplies Tamworth Country Music Cup Showcase Class 1 Handicap (1200m) as a springboard to further Showcase success with lightly-raced High Dive.

The Mudgee trainer recently bought and syndicated the three-year-old gelding son of Excelebration to a group of friends and supporters who have raced such talented gallopers as Binalong Road and Schedule with him.

High Dive has had seven starts for a maiden win at Kembla Grange. That success came in September last year over 1200m. He has since won a trial at Bathurst and arrives in the Country Music Capital fit and primed for a lyrical tilt at the CIS Country Music Cup, said Mack Griffith.

“He is good, won a trial at Bathurst well and has been working well,” Mack Griffith said. “He has drawn well (9) and Aaron Bullock will ride him.

Aaron rode him in the trial at Bathurst too. He does have to carry 61.5kg, which is a bit of a concern and he’s not a big horse, although he won at Kembla with 59kg. He is coming back to country grade from provincial class though and should run well.”

Griffith is no stranger to Tamworth having won some good races at the track when he was based at Scone and Muswellbrook.

Since moving to Mudgee he has had a succession of talented horses such as Binalong Road and Schedule and hopes High Dive can make a successful plunge.

“I bought him for a little syndicate of owners to run in these Showcase meetings,” Mack Griffith explained. “There is a heap of Showcase races over the next six to eight weeks all around. Hopefully, he can run in them. This will show if he’s up to it I suppose.”

High Dive is topweight for tomorrow’s $30,000 CIS Country Music Cup, a race that is timed to jump at 4.45pm while the eight-race TAB meeting begins at 1.10pm with the $30,000 Luke Groggs 3YO Showcase Maiden Plate (1400m) and a $40,000 Kelley Covey Engineers Tamworth Country Showcase Maiden Plate (1200m) also drawing a strong and full field of 14.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Tamworth's Country Showcase meeting here