If there wasn’t enough reasons to love Caulfield Guineas Day, the owners of Maktoob found another on Saturday when the classy import took out the BECK Grand Handicap.
Sent out an $8 chance after a slashing run at Flemington last time out, Maktoob drew a much kinder barrier and looked on paper like he’d get every chance in the run, and it played out accordingly. Settling three pairs back, one off the fence, the tearaway leader Elephant set a very strong gallop, ensuring it would be a testing run home. We settled nicely with Blaike McDougall biding his time until the 450m mark when we pulled out three wide to commence his run. With the headwind playing a role in the final couple of furlongs, this was a bold move but ultimately a winning one with the horses behind us forced to chase a long way out. The race was put to bed at that point and Maktoob cleared out winning comfortably, securing his first Saturday win since arriving in Australia.
He’s a horse that we still haven’t found the bottom of yet and there’s a plethora of options throughout the Spring to build his CV.
Thanks again to the wonderful group of owners in the horse who turned up to cheer him on, along with expert bloodstock agent Cameron Cooke who found the horse for us all the way from the UK
