Pride’s cranky old Mazu upstages Everest hopefuls in $1m Shorts

Front-running eight-year-old marvel Mazu put his hand up for another Everest slot with an upset win in the $1 million The Shorts on Saturday at Randwick, even if trainer Joe Pride is not that interested.

All eyes were on the likes of Joliestar and Headwall as the battle for places in the $20 million Everest on October 17 heats up, but it was Mazu, first-up as a $19 shot, that stole the show.

Mazu and jockey Rachel King took advantage of a fast track and a lack of challengers for the lead to take out the 1100m Everest lead-up, holding out Joliestar by a neck, with Pride-trained King’s Secret a nose away in third.

Third in the 2022 Everest, 11th in 2023, and ninth last year as late replacement for Yulong’s slot following injury to Private Harry, Mazu showed he was going as well as ever, but Pride was looking to lesser targets with the Triple Crown Syndications horse.

“It’s not my call, really. It’s the owner’s call,” Pride said of a slot-holder calling.

“He’s had a few goes in the Everest and it’s not really his race. On a day when it’s wet, he will probably be in the contest, but other than that, running a nice sixth or seventh doesn’t interest me a lot.”

Mazu, formerly with Peter Snowden, had won just the Hall Mark Stakes – three times – while with Pride, and the Warwick Farm trainer was glad to break through in a $1 million race with the “cranky” gelding, which was again difficult to get to the barriers.

“Sometimes he’ll stop two or three times on the way to the gates. He’s going to get me sooner or later,” said Pride, who won the 2023 Everest with Think About It.

“He’s funny, isn’t he? He’s so reluctant to get there but then so quick to get home.

“He’s a terrific old horse. He really is. Super proud of both my horses here today. They weren’t particularly in the market, but they both ran well above their place in the market and King’s Secret is on track for a really big spring, as is this old horse.

“They could both end up in the Premiere, but I think maybe with King’s Secret, he’ll find a bit more improvement off that run than some of the others. Either the Premiere here or the Gilgai down in Melbourne. The Sydney Stakes is a likely race for them both and maybe the Russell Balding as well.”

Defending champion Ka Ying Rising and Michael Freedman-trained Ninja, which was two lengths away in ninth in the Shorts, remained the only confirmed runners for the Everest.

King said Mazu, after a bit of reversing going to the gates, was forgotten about up front in the run.

“The whole preparation last prep, he was so honest. I know he only tends to win that one race a year, he’s just rewritten that now, so he deserves another good one because he is just a model of consistency.”