The qualifier for the Melbourne Cup at Flemington wasn’t originally on the agenda for Zakouma until his recent performance there.
Following three straight victories, Zakouma headed to Flemington on Anzac Day and was anticipated to claim the benchmark 100 event over 2000m where he entered as a strongly supported favourite.
However, the contest became a disaster for the galloper prepared by Grahame Begg, who found himself trapped along the rail towards the rear and didn’t get a clear run until the closing stages.
Rather than retiring to the paddock ahead of a spring preparation, the team has opted to continue with Zakouma into the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington this Saturday.
This Andrew Ramsden represents the second among 10 races providing a ballot exemption for the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington come November.
Begg noted that Zakouma’s previous outing essentially served as a 2000m barrier trial, though the set-weights terms of the race do worry Begg since Zakouma, with his unexplored stamina, carries identical weight to Sydney Cup victor Changingoftheguard.
“He’s got to go the distance and he’s not well-weighted under the conditions,” Begg said.
“I don’t understand why it’s a set-weights race.
“Outside three-year-old Classic races, I can’t think of one, while the winner gets free passage into the Melbourne Cup and then goes back to a handicap, so why not make this a handicap.”
Zakouma is yet to tackle distances past 2000m under Begg’s care, having begun his career with Pat Carey and Harris Walker at Mornington.
During his three-year-old season, Zakouma placed runner-up over 2200m at Bairnsdale and fourth across 2400m at Caulfield prior to transferring to Begg.
On Saturday, Begg hopes for a controlled pace where Zakouma can be settled back as the gelding attempts to stay the course.
“Changingoftheguard rolls forward, Sir Kingsford rolls forward, so I think they’ll go a good enough clip and normally at the 700 (metres) in these races, the wave starts coming,” Begg said.
“What we’ll try to do is put him to sleep, give him some clean air, and give him one crack at them.
“Whether he’s up to the task and can run the journey, that’s something we’ll find out on Saturday.
“But he goes to the race in good order.”
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