Mack Griffith and mates building Compelling case for The Kosciuszko with horse from the paddock

Mack Griffith hardly had to try too hard to get some mates into the ownership of blue blood sprinter Compelling Truth, now they are on the ride of a lifetime.

Compelling Truth comes to Doomben on Saturday with a three-kilogram claim. Picture: Bradley Photos

Mack Griffith hardly had to get his best sales pitch out to get some mates into the ownership of bush speedster Compelling Truth when he was sitting in a paddock injured.

All he had to do was show them his replays.

The Mudgee trainer was the long-time racing manager of Gooree Stud before they sold all their racing stock, but always had his eye on Compelling Truth, who was moved on by Annabel Neasham after two starts.

“I managed Gooree pre-training and racing for 10 years and when they closed it down, he was a horse sitting in the paddock with a tendon, so me and a few mates leased him,” Griffith said.

“(Neasham) gave him two starts and didn’t think he was up to it.

Trainer Mack Griffith. Picture: Cameron Richardson

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“I gave him a couple of starts and then he did his tendon, he was in the paddock when they closed the (Gooree) show down.

“I showed my mates a few of his runs and then they saw his pedigree, they were pretty quick to get on board.

“He still races in the Gooree colours, it is the least we could do for them.”

With his customary blinding speed, Compelling Truth produced the win of the Grafton carnival last month, with Griffith saying he did well to stick on when making his first start in Sydney a few weeks later.

Remarkably, Compelling Truth drops in weight at Doomben on Saturday when he goes down in grade into the Colts and Geldings No Metro Wins Handicap (1200m), jumping from barrier 12.

Compelling Truth makes it four-in-a-row and puts his hand up for a slot in #TheKosciuszko! ($51 into $26). @tabcomau 🏔️

Mack Griffith and Jake Pracey-Holmes combine to take the Kirby @clarenceriverjc 🏇💨 pic.twitter.com/ueZckO8jfF

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 18, 2024

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“He hasn’t reached any great heights yet, but he has done the job when we’ve lifted the bar,” Griffith said.

“He didn’t have much chance (in Sydney) when they went as fast as they did, it was a good run and with the pressure he had he was entitled to run last, so he did well to do what he did.

“With Bailey’s (Wheeler) claim, he drops weight on Saturday in an inferior race.

“He is a funny horse in that a wide gate isn’t a bad thing, he gets a bit claustrophobic and when he is on the fence with pressure around him, he doesn’t love it.

“He can set really good early sectionals and then kick off it, a lot of people that have ridden against him can’t believe how fast he has gone and then got away from them.

“The 1200m won’t be a problem, a lot of people have their doubts.”

If he ticks the 1200m box on Saturday, Compelling Truth is sure to attract interest from Kosciuszko slot holders, but Griffith said he wasn’t going to base his preparation around the rich country race.

“If it happens, it happens, we are happy to just keep poking along and winning races, if they throw us into the big race, we will take it,” he said.

Originally published as Mack Griffith and mates building Compelling case for The Kosciuszko with horse from the paddock