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By Ray Hickson

A gear change and a favourable barrier has trainer Peter Snowden convinced Mazu has the right platform to produce his best and end a frustrating spring on a high in Saturday’s $1 million Newcastle Herald Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle.

Trainer Peter Snowden (Pic: Steve Hart)

It’s been well documented that the gelding’s build up to the Everest was checkered to say the least, with wide barriers and an interrupted preparation.

Snowden, who trains with son Paul, said the addition of a nose roll to Mazu’s gear, with the pacifiers and cross over nose band coming off, seemed to work in his trial earlier this week under new jockey Nash Rawiller.

“It’s something different, you’ve got to change something up,’’ Snowden said.

“I did trial him in it the other day and I thought he trialled well. Nash said he was perfect with it, we’re just trying to tweak something to get that bit more out of him.

“Nash understands horses, he had his first ride on him the other day and he told me a lot about Mazu that I knew already but that he didn’t know and he got the horse in one hit. That’s the sort of horseman he is.”

Mazu’s last win was the 2022 Doomben 10,000 and since then he’s recorded five placings against the nation’s top sprinters including the 2022 TAB Everest and TJ Smith Stakes earlier this year.

His spring kicked off in the Shorts back in September and he beat one horse home but still ran slick sectionals in a race not suiting backmarkers before he missed his planned Premiere Stakes run with a minor mishap in his box.

That forced the Snowden stable to play catch up for the Everest with a trial and he ultimately finished 11th in the world’s richest race on turf after striking interference.

He was only beaten two lengths by Bella Nipotina in the Giga Kick Stakes after again going back and running home in 33.47 (Punter's Intelligence).

“He’s going better than reasonably well, he’s not getting beaten 10 and they are the elite horses,’’ Snowden said.

“He’s finishing right there being caught three deep, going back to second last and having to run home in 31 to win. He’s been set impossible tasks but he hasn’t been running bad.

“The horse hasn’t won for a while and they can lose that last 10 per cent focus, he just needs to win a race and hopefully he’ll get that opportunity.”

Snowden said he expects Mazu, $5 with TAB on Wednesday, will race a lot more forward in The Hunter, having drawn six, than we’ve seen from him this spring and that other tactics will be left to Rawiller.

“We think he will be in the first five or six comfortably, that’s where we want to see him,’’ he said.

“It should be able to give Nash a few scenarios, he was pretty adamant with what he said at the trials about what he wanted to do with him so we’ll just leave it to him.”

Stablemate King Of Sparta was set his own impossible task in the Group 3 Sydney Stakes (1200m) on Everest Day and Snowden was rapt with his performance to be beaten four lengths by I Am Me.

He drew one from the outside in the 16 horse field and wound up finishing midfield.

Again, with a kinder draw Snowden said he can only expect the five-year-old to perform to his best given the ideal lead in to the race.

“He’s been a grand performer for the stable, he never runs a bad race,’’ Snowden said.

“He’s had a trial at Randwick (since the Sydney Stakes) so he’s had a little spin around.

“It sets up well for him, that’s his scenario the last 18 months to have four or five weeks and one trial so we’ve kept that formula.”

Mazu runs fourth in a Hawkesbury trial on November 13

Ka Bling will be out to redeem himself in the 2024 TAB Karaka Millions Handicap (1300m) after he let the side down with his fourth as favourite at Randwick on the Big Dance program.

He’ll meet Much Much Better on 2kg more favourable terms for their clash on October 21.

“He’s been around the money, he was a bit disappointing last start,’’ he said.

“It’s his time to be in because it’s his opportunity to win Saturday races, so depending on how he goes he might have a little freshen and come back in January.”

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