Mazu repeats G3 Hall Mark Stakes win
Mazu (red silks) drives to a second Hall Mark Stakes victory, cutting out his last 600 metres in 33.94. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)
Maurice’s high-class son Mazu took his earnings past $9 million with his 7th stakes victory, taking out Saturday’s $250,000 Hall Mark S. 1200m G3 at Randwick for the second consecutive year.
He jumped well from gate 1 and settled third as the favourite Ostraka took up the early running, then pulled out to strike 300 metres out and finished off strongly to score by 1.4 lengths from stablemate Coal Crusher and Givemethebeatboys.
Mazu makes it back-to-back TAB Hall Mark Stakes! 👏@PrideRacing | @jamieleekah07 | @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/0jDVdYIYFO
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) April 19, 2025
Jockey Jamie Melham said, “I love this horse. He’s a horse you can’t tell what to do, you’ve got to ask him. It’s up to him. If he brings his best, he brings his best and he’s normally too good for them and today he decided to.”
Trainer Joe Pride confirmed that a Queensland campaign is once again on Mazu’s horizon. “Mazu is a weight-for-age winner, he’s a Doomben 10,000 winner. The sprinters probably aren’t at that elite level this year, so we’ll probably freshen him up and give him a couple of targets there in Brisbane.”
Bred and sold by Parsons Creek, Mazu was a $180,000 purchase by Triple Crown Syndications from the 2020 Inglis Classic Sale. His dam Chatelaine (by Flying Spur) has left four other winners including Champion 2YO Filly Headway (by Charge Forward), winner of the 2009 Coolmore Stud S. G1.
Apart from his Doomben 10,000 G1 success and two Hall Mark victories, Mazu has won the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint G2 and three Listed Races in Sydney, placed in the Doomben 10,000 & T.J. Smith S. G1 and he ran an outstanding third for Triple Crown, The Star & Arrowfield in the 2022 running of The Everest.
Mazu’s consistency in top company was rewarded with the $2.5 million 2022 Sydney Sprint Series bonus, which he clinched when second to Private Eye in the $3 million Nature Strip Stakes. His career prizemoney of $9,074,750, compiled in a 36-start career of 9 wins & 9 placings, makes him Maurice’s leading worldwide earner.
Maurice has been a top 10 sire in Japan for the past three seasons and posted his 6th Group 1 winner, 2YO colt Admire Zoom in 2024. He has served large, high quality books of Australian mares since he resumed shuttling in 2021 and this year averaged $503,000 for 10 yearlings sold at Inglis Easter. They included his first million-dollar yearling in Australia, the $1.4 million filly out of Champion 3YO Filly Shoals.
