Trainer Grahame Begg identifies two issues facing Zakouma as he attempts to claim the Mornington Cup with the talented stayer.
The Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) this Saturday provides the winner with a ballot exemption into the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) in October, and Begg views the event as an ideal preparation for Zakouma, who remains undefeated after three outings this preparation.
However, the trainer has concerns over the compact Mornington track, and more crucially, securing a spot in the field.
Zakouma sits at number 21 on the entry list for the race, which caps at 14 runners plus four emergencies.
The final acceptors will be announced on Wednesday.
“He’s a pretty nice horse and if he can get a run, he’ll definitely run, but that will be the challenge, getting a run,” Begg said.
“He’s so lowly rated, he’s only got a benchmark rating of 78, but he is a promising horse.
“Having a look at the form, there is a bit of a tail to the race, there’s plenty of horses that are out of form, but they’ve got a higher benchmark on previous form from previous campaigns.
“He looks like he’ll run the trip, but the biggest thing for him would be getting around Mornington because he likes to be relaxed in the early part of his races.”
If Zakouma secures a start, Daniel Stackhouse is confirmed to ride, but should he miss out, Begg indicated the gelding would target a benchmark 100 event over 2000m at Flemington on Anzac Day.
Begg noted that a victory in the Mornington Cup on Saturday would lead to a spell for Zakouma with the Caulfield Cup as the goal, though it seems improbable for the gelding to continue much past the Flemington assignment a week afterward.
“The Andrew Ramsden would be unlikely, and we would be unlikely to travel interstate at this stage,” Begg said.
“We’d prefer to just stay in our lane.”
Begg achieved a runner-up finish in the Mornington Cup with Nonconformist in 2021, who then placed second to Incentivise in the 2026 Caulfield Cup.
Zakouma kicked off his current campaign with success at Caulfield Heath over 1600m, followed by wins over 1800m at Sandown and then 2000m on heavy ground at Flemington on March 28.
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