Mazu is set for another Queensland campaign after successfully defending his title in the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes at Randwick on Saturday, delivering a timely return to form for the six-year-old sprinter.

Ridden once again by Melbourne hoop Jamie Melham, Mazu ($4.40) tracked the pace set by betting sites favourite Ostraka before surging through a gap in the final furlong to claim a dominant win.

The 2022 Doomben 10,000 winner surged to the lead at the 100-metre mark and held off Coal Crusher ($9.50), also trained by Joe Pride, by a length and a half. Givemethebeatboys ($19) filled third, finishing a further neck away.

It was Mazu’s first win since last year’s edition of the Hall Mark, and Pride confirmed that the Doomben 10,000 (1200m) is once again firmly on the radar during Brisbane’s Winter Carnival.

“Jamie seems to have a real affinity with this horse and we’ll see if we can get her on for something maybe up in Queensland,” Pride said.

“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.”

Mazu was unplaced in last year’s Doomben 10,000 before running second in the Moreton Cup, but his commanding performance at Randwick suggests he’s returned to his best.

Pride, who had three runners in the race, noted that the dynamics of Saturday’s contest played into Mazu’s strengths.

“It was a funny run race in the end,” he said.

“He was coming up underneath them and Ostraka didn’t seem to want to cross and that kept Coal Crusher in an awkward position.

“Coal Crusher ran bravely as well, it was a good run, and Dragonstone probably had things against him coming from back in the field.”

Melham, who now boasts two wins and a second from three rides on Mazu, praised the gelding’s quirky personality and immense talent.

“I love this horse,” Melham said.

“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.

“It probably looked messy the first half of the race but I love when you can finally get a sit on him and only expose him for that 200m, because if you expose him for the whole straight sometimes his brain overthinks things. But it worked out perfectly today.”