The Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield is slated to be Zakouma’s last run before the prestigious Melbourne Cup.
Trainer Grahame Begg has selected the Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) on Saturday as the stayer’s final preparation race for the Flemington feature over 3200m on November 3.
Zakouma secured a ballot exemption into the Melbourne Cup following his victory in The Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington back in May.
This win has allowed Begg the flexibility to choose races he desires, rather than those solely offering a Melbourne Cup start.
Since his Andrew Ramsden triumph in May, Zakouma has competed twice at Caulfield. He finished sixth in the Heatherlie Stakes (1700m), coming from the tail of the field, and again secured sixth place in the Naturalism Stakes (2000m) on September 19.
Begg expressed satisfaction with both outings, acknowledging that the distances on those occasions were not ideal for the gelding.
Furthermore, Begg concedes that the tighter Caulfield track is less suited to Zakouma compared to the more expansive Flemington course.
Begg had Zakouma at Caulfield on Tuesday for a workout on pleasant ground, a change of scenery from Cranbourne to provide the stayer with a gallop.
“His work has been very sharp and he’s going well,” Begg stated.
“Caulfield is not really his track, and we are happy that he’s not running in the Caulfield Cup, but Saturday’s race fits in nicely towards the Melbourne Cup.”
“The Moonee Valley Cup is there (as a back-up), but I’ve consciously factored in just the one mile-and-a-half race.”
“There are races there as you just never know what could happen.”
Zakouma progressed from 2000m to 2800m when winning The Andrew Ramsden, and Begg doesn’t anticipate any issues with the step up from Saturday’s 2400m to the 3200m of the Melbourne Cup, nor the three-and-a-half-week gap between races.
“He went a month between runs before he won the Andrew Ramsden and went the 2800 metres without any worries,” Begg confirmed.
“We’re very conscious that it is a bit of a balancing act.”
“We don’t want to over-race him, and we want to keep the run in his legs, a bit of freshness, but he is a very clean-winded horse.”
“We’ll see what he does on Saturday and then keep adjusting his work accordingly.”
Zakouma is scheduled for his pre-Melbourne Cup veterinary scans next Wednesday, which Begg anticipates will allow him to focus fully on preparing his first Melbourne Cup contender.
Check out the latest racing odds at Australian betting sites and get ready for the Herbert Power Stakes.