Grahame Begg, a trainer born into racing, is set to have his inaugural Melbourne Cup runner with Zakouma’s entry into the prestigious race.
The reins of his father Neville’s Randwick stable were passed to Begg in 1990 when he was 29, following his father’s relocation to Hong Kong.
Relocating his training operation to Melbourne in 2016, Begg narrowly missed his first Cup runner when Lunar Flare was withdrawn on the morning of the 2022 Melbourne Cup due to a foot issue. The following year, a career-ending injury sidelined the mare in the lead-up to the Cup.
With the 3200-metre Melbourne Cup at Flemington approaching on Tuesday, Zakouma’s preparation has proceeded without any disruptions.
Zakouma secured a ballot exemption in May by winning the Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington, a victory that has enabled Begg to strategically place the stayer in races of his choosing.
Following a fifth-place finish in the Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Flemington on October 10, Begg opted to give Zakouma a run over 1600m in the Crystal Mile (1600m) at Flemington two weeks later.
Begg confessed to waking up that night questioning his decision to run Zakouma, who finished last and was beaten by 8-½ lengths.
“I woke up in the middle of the night and thought where did I go wrong,” Begg said.
“I was really pondering it and thinking how did I get it so wrong.
“Visually it looked awful because he was dropping out, but when you look at the sectional times, he ran his last 800 (metres) in 46-½ (seconds) and his last 600 was 34-½.
“His sectionals were quite good, but the race shape was pretty ordinary. It was stop, start, and he was too close and he won’t go on the inside of horses as every time he’s won, he’s been down the middle of the track and Willie (Pike) knows that now.
“I went back over his last 10 starts and his times have been comparable all the way through and when I did that exercise, I was a lot more comfortable.”
Begg clarified that the 1600m race was intended to provide Zakouma with a solid gallop in preparation for Tuesday’s main event.
A 1400m jump-out at Cranbourne was scheduled for two days later, but his concerns were realised when Zakouma was the sole nomination, and the jump-outs were cancelled due to a waterlogged track from the previous day’s heavy rain.
“We dodged a bullet there and everything has been good since,” Begg stated.
“He had his final piece of work on the grass at Cranbourne next to the rail on Friday and galloped strongly and a light piece of work on Sunday.”
Begg noted an increase in anticipation around the stable as Tuesday’s race draws nearer.
“It’s very exciting,” Begg enthused.
“In the last few days there’s a bit more of a buzz in the stable.
“The horse has had to do his trot ups, and a lot of the staff went to the races on Saturday supporting our runners, including a few of the girls that ride trackwork, there was a whole big team of them.
“We’re all looking forward to Tuesday.”
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