Beau Zam's career has been largely forgotten. Due to injury and a checked ending Beau Zam's great achievements have been hugely forgotten. It must be remembered that at the time Bart Cummings stated that Beau Zam was the best three year old he'd ever trained. That from a man who's trained five Victorian Derby winner's and three year olds of the calibre of Taj Rossi, Dayana, Tontonan, Stormy Rex, Leica Lover, Asgard, Belmura Lad,
Bounty Hawke, Ziema and champion fillies Light Fingers and Tristanagh.
Beau Zam raced in the same year as Marauding's 1987 Golden Slipper year.He was kept for the Fernhill which he won by four lengths over the Randwick mile. The win showed his staying potential and showed he may be the best of a vintage crop of juvieniles.
His three year old campaign predictably started of slowly over the sprint distances. It was in his fourth start that he got going in the 1750 Hill Stakes when he easily defeated the older horses Cool Deal and Colour Page. At his next start in the Spring Champion Stakes Beau Zam easily defeated the field to win his first group one. He took a long time to wind up which showed his perpensity to staying but once he did he won going away by 2and a quater lengths from Nickson and Hit Again Benny.Cummings was so impressed that he declared he would be set for the Cups double.Most unlike him for a three year old. In the Caulfield Cup Beau Zam settled well back behind leader Lord Reims.Still well back on the turn he was giving an enormous start away to the tearaway leader Lord Reims. Beau Zam moved to 2nd at the 200 but Lord Reims had a six length lead.Slowly but surely the baby of the cup field begun to bridge the gap.Lord Reims was stopping and Beau Zam was flying.Beau Zam lunged at Lord Reims but failed. In a photo in a finish Lord Reims won by a short halh head with six lengths away third Cossack Warrior.It was a remarkable run by a three year old. The run flattened him as he was unplaced in the W.S Cox Plate
And in the VRC DERBY. Bart though dissapointed still won the Derby with his second stringer Omnicorp. The boom had gone of Beau Zam but comeback he did in the autumn.
Beau Zam's autumn campaign naturally begun slowly over short distances. At his fourth run back he begun a sequence which put him in the Kingston Town class.Starting at 11/8f in the Rawson Stakes Beau Zam annililated the field to win by an ever expanding 5 and a half lengths from star import Bonhomie and last years top three year old Myocard. The next race was the International Tancred where outstanding overseas horses Le Glorieux( winner of the Japan Cup and Washington International) Highland Chieftain and Vaguely Plesant as well as local star Myocard were apposed to him. What promised to be a great race turned out to be a one horse precession as Beau Zam showed acceleration not sees in a three year old since Kingston Town. Beau Zam won by an incredible six and a half lengths leaving the star visitors and local stars looking second class.Highland Chieftan
and Vaguely Pleasant field the placings in what had been a great win. Next on the agenda was the AJC Derby.
The Derby saw Beau Zam start at 1/4f despite the presence of a seventeen horse field. Lying a little better than midfield until the turn John Marshall moved him to the outside, Quickly accelerating Beau Zam raced to the lead at the 200 and exploded away to win by five and a half lengths.from Brixton Town and Hunter. It was the most impressive Derby win since Kingston Town and that includes Strawberry Roads 1983 win. It must be noted that some in the media questioned the quality of horses he was beating. Eves still he was spacing his fields and you can only beat whats put in front of you.And the Derby fields size was seventeen which meant plenty of competition at least numerally. Next up was the time honoured AJC ST Ledger.
The ledger field saw a field of ten line up.A victory would see Beau Zam become the first horse to pass $2Million in prize money. Starting at 1/16f in a field of second raters Beau Zam sat back running fifth or sixth
until the 400 when he moved to the outside. Having to not pull the whip Beau Zam cruised to the lead and opened up an ever increasing lead. Over the final 200metres John Marshall riding hands and heals kept looking over his shoulder as the Beau went futher and futher away. At the judge he had won by nine and three quater lengths from Palace Revolt with Sicilian Star two and a half lengths away third. Despite the sub standard competition a horse could not have been more impressive.The stanhard of the race looks better when one considers that Palace Revolt won the Sydney Cup a year later.Also Hunter who ran third to the Beau in the Derby went on to win a Metropolitan
Handicap at Randwick.
Despite his miss givings Cummings ran Beau Zam in the Queen Elizabeth at Canberra in front of the Queen. It was a tough task as he had had a tough campaign and was tired and in need of a spell. The race was built as a match race between himself and Kiwi champion Bonecrusher. Six lined up in a race where only two could realistically win. Bonecrusher lead until the turn. Beau Zam joined him at the 300. Bonecrusher responded and got a length in front. For the first time in many starts Jonny Marshall was forced to pull the whip. He clawed back to within a half length at the 100 metre mark. Despite being flattened and tired from an arduous campaign he found something. So did Bonecrusher who had had an easier campaign.Stride for stride at the 50 Beau Zam stuck his head in front in the last stride to win by half a head, seven lengths away third was Dandy Andy.It had been a great win.
Beau Zam tragically missed the Spring but returned in the autumn where he won first up in the Apollo Stakes at Warick Farm beating the the well peformed Eye Of The Sky. Next up he was second in the Chipping Norton over 1600 to the top miler Flotilla, Research was third. Following this was the Rawson Stakes over the longer and more suitable 2000metres where he was apposed to the Champion filly Research. Beau Zam showing his customary acceleration left the great filly lementing as he raced away to win the race for the second straight year by four lengths from Zamakima with a futher four lengths to Research meaning he beat Research home by eight lengths. Research went on to win the Derby and Oaks. After this win Beau Zam was once again injured and missed the Tancred. Patched up he was unsuccessful at his final two starts. So brought to an end a wonderful racing career.
If it hadn't been for injury there is no telling how good he may have been. As a three year old he is the best stayer I saw and in the Kingston Town class. The only difference was his inability over the shorter distance. Kingston Town could sprint and stay.
Beau Zam was a great horse in the Saintly and Kingston Town class and simply another one of the seemingly endless stream of Bart Cumming Champions.
David Waters.