A drop in class from his most recent runs in G1 company, 7yo Maurice (Jpn) gelding Mazu followed a tried and tested path, winning the $250,000 G3 ATC Hall Mark Stakes (1400m) for the third year in a row, and in the process leading home a one-two-three finish for the Joe Pride stable.
Starting on the second line of betting behind his $12.8m earning stablemate Private Eye (Al Maher), jockey Rachel King jumped Mazu straight to the lead from the inside barrier and he was never headed.
As the field turned into the home straight, it looked as if Mazu’s stablemates, and half-brothers King’s Secret (Shalaa) and Private Eye would make a race of it, but King had ridden such a superb race on the front runner that when the line was reached, Mazu held a head margin over the lightly weighted King’s Secret.
A short neck back in third, it was a solid hit out from the equal top weight Private Eye who was having his first race day start since December and will now likely head to Queensland where he will not look out of place in any race.
Working home well into fourth, the Queensland trained The Inflictor was also first up, while the stablemate to the first three, the Pride trained Kerguelen ran well to finish in fifth for Godolphin.
“What a fantastic old warrior he is,” enthused Pride. “We've won three of these in-a-row and done it on a dry track today.
“I think this track's got a little bit of give in it because In Flight won here last week and she has a similar record where her best form is on wet tracks. So I suppose maybe autumn tracks are a little bit softer than the summer tracks.
“He's grumpy. He's not the kind of guy you want to hang out with on a long-term sort of basis, but it's all on his terms and we let him do that.
“He does everything as he wants, we don't tell him what he has to do. He's enjoying his racing and hopefully there's another season or two left in him.
As for what is next for Mazu, Pride feels he deserves a bit of a break.
“We might give him a break. He doesn't do much in Brisbane generally, but we'll get him home and have a look at him.”
When asked what Pride felt about the second and third horses, he both felt they ran well.
“Oh, really good. I think, out of the race, he's (Ling’s Secret) probably the real eye-catcher because he's not ready for all this yet, but I thought it was terrific.
“He's (Private Eye) probably obviously looking for that a little bit further. Maybe just being a bit older, being first up is not as big an advantage as it used to be, but I thought he was good to the line.”
Rachel King was slightly concerned with the dry track today, but in the end it didn’t matter.
“I think he just knows it's this race; he loves it, said King. “I was concerned with the firmer deck today; I just didn't know how he'd let down on it. But that last 50, his ears pinned flat back on his head, and he just wanted to beat them.”
“I love seeing an older horse like that, even if he only wins one race a year, he deserves it.
“He's been running so well up to today and he deserved that big win.”
An eight-time stakes winner, highlighted by his victory in the G1 Doomben 10,000, Mazu’s overall record sits at ten wins and thirteen placed efforts from 46 starts with earnings of $10,740,700.
Purchased for $180,000 by Triple Crown Syndications from the Parsons Creek Pastoral Co draft at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Mazu is a half-brother to 2008/09 Champion 2YO Filly Headway (Charge Forward) whose four wins included the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes, while she was also a runner-up in the G1 Golden Slipper.
Mazu is one of 35 stakes winners, and seven G1 winners for Arrowfield Stud’s shuttle stallion Maurice (Screen Hero), who stands alongside his triple G1-winning son Hitotsu.
Vinery Stud will offer the lone lot by Murice at Sunday’s Inglis HTBA Yearling Sale with the filly selling as Lot 93, while Riversdale Farm will offer the lone Hitotsu yearling in the sale with the filly selling as Lot 20.
