3 minute read
He’s already placed in an Everest, a TJ Smith and is a Group 1 winner so Joe Pride was always going to find it tough to improve Mazu when he was handed the gelding to train.
After a spring that was forgettable for the five-year-old, a mix of mishaps and wide barriers did his second Everest campaign no favours, he made a promising debut for Joe Pride that the trainer hopes he can build on in the Group 1 $1m Kia Ora Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Mazu, $26 with TAB on Thursday, attracted plenty of support in his first-up fifth in the Challenge Stakes over 1000m at Randwick two weeks ago and Pride said it was a solid pass if not better.
"I liked his run the other day,'' Pride said.
"It was a slowly run 1000m, which is a pretty rare thing, and he got outdashed but if you watch him he was really good through the line so I think he'd be well suited."
It's hard to get away from the fact that, while Mazu is competitive on a good track, when he gets decent give in the ground it's when he's at his best.
He won the Darby Munro at the corresponding meeting two years ago on a heavy deck, his TJ placing last year was also on heavy while it was a soft 6 when he ran third in the 2022 Everest behind Giga Kick and Private Eye.
With Rosehill expected to be forgiving that gives Pride heart that he's in the right race to find out if he can get back to his best.
"He's a serious chance in the race and this is the race I've earmarked for him as the best opportunity to win a race this prep and if he gets a wet track he will be in the finish,'' Pride said.
Though, both Mazu and stablemate Private Eye's chances were hampered a bit by wide barriers in what looks a strong edition of the Galaxy – a race the trainer won for the fourth time last year with Mariamia.
The Challenge was basically a non-event for Private Eye, that's been well publicised, after he went back to a clear last in that rare pedestrian sprint.
He dashed home in 32.24 for his last 600m (Punter's Intelligence) and broke 11 seconds with a last 200m in 10.89 so from that perspective Pride was happy enough with the performance.
He said it wasn't originally the plan to tackle the Galaxy but it provides a good hitout ahead of the TJ Smith in two weeks.
"It wasn't tough on him at all. He's going to have a trial or a race and I'd rather see him running for a million dollars,'' he said.
"There's an opportunity for him and it won't hurt his chances going into the TJ."
Pride said the only caveat to Private Eye running in the Galaxy would be if the track was worse than a soft 6 which doesn't appear likely given the forecast.
