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By Ray Hickson

Most will say it’s time for Mazu to stand up at Royal Randwick on Saturday and prove he’s on target for next month’s TAB Everest but co-trainer Peter Snowden expects that he will.

Trainers Peter (left) and Paul Snowden (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Last year’s third placegetter in the TAB Everest has had the luxury of the two-year slot from The Star and Arrowfield but didn’t make any kind of statement in his first-up run this spring.

Snowden said he’d like to see Mazu win or finish top three in the Group 2 $1 million Precise Air Premiere Stakes (1200m) to be confident he can head to the Everest and be competitive.

“You need be knowing your horse is going well,’’ Snowden said.

“He will be there to make a bit of a statement and he’s not far off the mark now so there’s no reason why he won’t be running well.

“Top three would be great, knowing he’s going forward to his grand final in a fortnight.

“His work was sharp on Tuesday, we didn’t ask him to do a lot but he wanted to do a lot more so it’s good to see him in that frame of mind. From a good draw it should give him every opportunity to do it.”

Mazu, $12 with TAB on Wednesday and a $21 chance in the Everest, finished ninth in The Shorts (1100m) behind Private Eye, Overpass, and Buenos Noches - all since confirmed in the Everest - when resuming two weeks ago.

If you take on it face value it’s a disappointing return but as Snowden points out he was left with no choice but to go back after drawing wide and his sectionals were more than enough to say he can be forgiven.

The gelding clocked the fourth fastest last 600m (32.69, Punter’s Intelligence).

“His sectionals backed it up. He broke 33 for the last 600m, and he blew the start and was about seven deep early outside Lost And Running,’’ Snowden said.

“We came back, (Lost And Running) stayed where he was and he compounded and that’s where we would have been if we stayed there.

“I thought he took him too far back to be a winning chance but he did enough in the run that suggests he’s where we needed to be first-up.”

Barrier four was a godsend for connections of Mazu in the Premiere Stakes as Snowden says it should provide the five-year-old with no excuses and a true indication of his form, especially with current TAB Everest favourite Think About It among his rivals.

“He'll probably be three pairs back at the most, I think he is better ridden a bit quiet but we’re not going to give away that barrier too much so we’ll be a lot handier,’’ he said.

“You’ll see a better performance from him on Saturday.”

The Peter and Paul Snowden stable has five two-year-old colts accepted for the Group 3 Breeders’ Plate (1000m) but is relying on one filly, $1.2m buy, Invincible Madison in the Group 3 $200,000 Keeneland Gimcrack Stakes (1000m).

The daughter of speedy mare Super Too impressed in her win at the official trials back on September 18 in a performance very unlike her mother who would regularly lead and make a mess of trial opposition.

“She’s very tractable and from day one she’s been great,’’ he said.

“She has a good temperament and has the right attributes to get to a good level.

“She did everything we wanted her to do in the trial, she jumped and sat behind the leader and quickened nicely when asked to in the last 100m.”

Import Unspoken was saved from an 1800m race last weekend to stick to the mile second-up in the Bisley Workwear Handicap (1600m).

Snowden said he was close to running at Rosehill but felt it was a little too soon to be going up significantly in distance with so many options to choose from in the coming months.

Mazu's first-up run in The Shorts

“I thought he raced a touch fresh the other day and I didn’t want him pulling,’’ he said.

“We’ve gone back to winkers but I thought the mile race might be better before we step up in trip.

“We’re not rushing him because there’s a lot of races over the next two months for him.”

A race like the $2 million Five Diamonds (1800m) could be on the radar for Unspoken who showed a lot more willingness to put himself in the race, settling fourth, when he scored first-up over 1500m at Rosehill three weeks ago.

“Josh (Parr) said he was quite keen and didn’t take much stoking to get him there, he travelled strongly on the bridle,’’ he said.

“I wouldn’t mind him in the same spot but more relaxed.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting