Veteran sprinter Mazu offered a clear message to the clerks of the course prior to the race and then to his rivals at the finish of The Shorts, outclassing the field for a surprise victory.

On more than one occasion, Mazu halted his progress towards the starting gates, remaining stationary for several minutes and lashing out at the horses escorting the clerk of the course as they attempted to urge him forward.

The confrontation was eventually settled, and Mazu brought his spirited demeanor into the competition, taking the lead and refusing to yield.

He held on by a neck from Joliestar, with Mazu’s stablemate King’s Secret, prepared by Joe Pride, a further nose behind in third.

“He walked straight out of here going, no, no I’ll go to the gates, and then stopped up there. Sometimes he can stop two or three times on the way to the gates,” Pride shared.

“He’s going to beat me sooner or later.

“It’s funny, he’s so reluctant to get there, but then so quick to get home.”

The winner of The Shorts is typically a strong candidate for a slot in The Everest, but Pride expressed a lack of enthusiasm for the October feature race with the eight-year-old.

Mazu has competed in The Everest (1200m) three times, with his best performance a third place behind Giga Kick in 2022. Pride indicated that while the horse’s owners would make the final decision, his personal preference would be to avoid facing the formidable Hong Kong galloper Ka Ying Rising.

“To be fair to him, he’s had a few goes in Everests and it’s not really his race,” Pride commented.

“The only thing I would say is if on the day it was wet, he’d probably be in the contest. But other than that, running a nice sixth or seventh doesn’t interest me a lot.”

Pride described Mazu as “an old marvel” and was delighted with the victory in The Shorts (1100m) on Saturday, while also being very pleased with the effort of stablemate King’s Secret.

Both sprinters are expected to compete again later in the carnival, though they may be separated for their upcoming starts.

“They could both end up in the Premiere Stakes, but I think maybe with King’s Secret he’ll find a bit more improvement off that run than some of the others, so either the Premiere here or the Gilgai Stakes down in Melbourne, which his brother (Private Eye) won,” Pride suggested.

“The Sydney Stakes is a likely race for them both, and maybe the Russell Balding Stakes as well.”

Rachel King has developed a strong association with Mazu, having ridden him in his past six starts, including his Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) victory in April. She noted that he always gives his absolute best, despite his pre-race quirks.

“They should never forget about him. He’s so honest,” King stated.

“Even though he gives us hell before the race, he really wants to be there.”

In a race where the backmarkers found it difficult to make an impact, the riders of Everest hopefuls Joliestar (second), Headwall (fifth), and Ninja (ninth) all offered positive assessments of their horses’ performances under the circumstances.

“It was gifted to the horses on speed. He ran well,” Tommy Berry said of Ninja, the only horse currently confirmed for an Everest slot.

With Mazu’s upset win in The Shorts, you can find the latest racing odds at your favourite online bookmakers.