For trainer Grahame Begg, a career dedicated to horse racing is set to reach a significant milestone with Zakouma’s participation in the 2026 Melbourne Cup, marking his first runner in the iconic event.

Begg inherited his father Neville’s Randwick stables in 1990 at the age of 29, when Neville moved his training base to Hong Kong.

The trainer relocated his stable to Melbourne in 2016 and came close to having his inaugural Cup runner, only for Lunar Flare to be scratched on Cup morning in 2022 due to a foot issue. The following year, the mare sustained a career-ending injury in the lead-up to the Cup.

With the 3200-metre 2026 Melbourne Cup at Flemington drawing nearer, Zakouma’s preparation has been seamless.

Zakouma earned a ballot exemption in May by winning the Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington, a victory that has allowed Begg to meticulously plan the stayer’s race program.

After finishing fifth in the Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) at Flemington on October 10, Begg decided to give Zakouma a run over 1600m in the Crystal Mile (1600m) at Flemington two weeks later.

Begg admitted that he questioned his decision after the race, waking up in the middle of the night wondering if running Zakouma over the shorter distance was the right call, having finished last and been 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 explained that the 1600m race was intended to provide Zakouma with a strong gallop in preparation for Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.

He had a 1400m jump-out planned at Cranbourne two days later, but his concerns were realised when Zakouma was the only nomination and the jump-outs were cancelled due to heavy rain the day prior.

“We dodged a bullet there and everything has been good since,” Begg confirmed.

“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 mentioned that there is a palpable sense of excitement within the stable as Tuesday’s race approaches.

“It’s very exciting,” Begg stated.

“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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