THE raid back home is a goer.

 After days of negotiating flights, NSW trainer Kevin Pizzuto has confirmed Tiger Tara’s return to his homeland for a tilt at the NZ Cup at Addington on November 14.

 “We are all go,” an excited Pizzuto said. “He flies out Melbourne Cup night (November 7), which works well for me to give him his last, strong workout over in NZ.

 “I’ve wanted to go for more than a week, but had to be sure all the flights worked both over and back.”

 Tiger Tara will then fly from Christchurch to Sydney on the Thursday after the NZ Cup with Lazarus and any other Purdon/Rasmussen pacers bound for Perth during the Inter Dominion series.

 “That timing works well, too,” Pizzuto said. “It means he’ll get three days back in his own place at home before we have to fly him down to Melbourne then get that flight with all the other Inter Dominion horses across to Perth.”

 Tiger Tara’s NZ Cup odds were slashed from $25 to $18 with the Aussie TAB off the back of his confirmed raid.

 Pizzuto confirmed his stable star would have one more lead-up race.

 “There’s a free-for-all at Menangle for him next Saturday night,” he said. “I wish it’d been 2300m, but the mile races are run strongly here so he’ll be sure to get another good hitout.”

 Tiger Tara resumed from a spell with an eye-catching third to Lennytheshark then in the Group 1 Victoria Cup on October 14, then backed-up a week later for a narrow but very impressive 1min51.3sec mile win at Menangle.

 “I think he’s better than he’s ever been since he came to my stable,” Pizzuto said.

 “And we’re not heading into the unknown. He ran second in the (NZ) Cup last year and has done so much of racing at Addington.

 “I can’t wait to get across and give it a crack.”