The 3yr-old rocked punters, but delighted Mosgiel owners Bill and Sandra Duell with an upset win at $42 odds at Sandown.
The lure of big Australian prize money prompted Mazzuro’s trip across the Tasman and it paid off in just his first start there.
"You race here for $22,000 and $25,000 in maiden races and he was running for $120,000," Richards said.
"That’s a group 2 race back home, so it’s not a hard decision to come over."
Mazzuro and rider Jye McNeil beat Mr Monaco by three parts of a length with Greycliffe a length away third.
The horse did not signal he was a racetrack star before leaving New Zealand.
Mazzuro ran an improver’s fourth, after a debut seventh, in two North Island starts.
His Australian adventure has taken Mazzuro’s game to another level and the trip has been the making of the horse, Richards said.
"He’s got better as he’s gone along and has the looks of a promising staying horse," he said.
"I’d say we’ll stay for a bit longer now."
Richards’ Australian excursion comes before his shift to work under his son, Jamie, at the powerhouse Te Akau stable next season.
The good fortunes in Australia continued for Otago owners at Menangle on Saturday night.
Otago-bred and raced star Field Marshal scored a regulation mile win at $1.04 odds for Mosgiel owners Syd and Shona Brown. Field Marshal, who became the seventh-fastest race-winning miler in world history with his 1:46.9 time when winning the Miracle Mile, looks perfectly placed to defend his Len Smith Mile crown at Menangle in early July. Later on Saturday, Deep Stream owners Bruce Masson and Victoria Duncum scored a victory with Let It Ride.
The pair share in the ownership of the Tim Butt-trained pacer who scored a returning win at $1.90 odds.
Let It Ride was having his first start since running fourth in the Taylor Mile and 11th in the New Zealand Messenger Championship at Alexandra Park.
— Additional reporting AAP
