British royalty watched him race and even rode the deadset champion in trackwork once

Beau Zam was a New Zealand-bred and Australian-trained Thoroughbred racehorse that won five Group one races in the late 1980s. Beau Zam was trained by the immortal Bart Cummings and generally ridden by Johnny Marshall. He was the Australian Horse of the Year for the 1987/88 season. As well as winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Canberra in front of the Queen herself, Beau Zam was also ridden in trackwork by Princess Anne in the lead up to his AJC Derby win. The magnificent statue of Beau Zam has pride of place in the office of trainer James Cummings at Godolphin's Osborne Park. Cummings revealed of the statue that stands about a metre high and is situated in front of the fireplace.

Je was out of the French sire Zamazaan (Exbury), combined with a French dam, Belle Cherie (Sovereign Edition). Zamazaan was syndicated for a then record NZ$200,000 and sent to stand at stud beginning in the 1970 season at Keith Burley's Carlyle Stud in East Tamaki near Auckland, New Zealand. His progeny included, Good Lord and Lord Reims and his dam's sired Doiremus and The Filbert.

He was a spritely juvenile, winning two of his five starts including the Fernhill Handicap by four lengths. In the spring of 1987, he won the Hill Stakes and the Spring Champion Stakes before running a remarkable second to mudlark Lord Reims in the Caulfield Cup after suffering interference mid race. The run seemed to bottom him out and he failed in the Cox Plate and Victoria Derby. But it was the autumn of 1988 where he came into his own, winning the Segenhoe (now Ranvet Stakes) by five lengths, the Tancred by five and a half lengths, the AJC Derby by a similar margin, and the AJC St Leger by almost 10 lengths. Johnny Marshall had Beau Zam literally cantering in third on the turn in the St Leger, before the champion coasted pass the leaders and strode away. The Tancred he won was the first international edition of the race, with the likes of Japan Cup winner Le Glorieux well beaten. He then won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a special race at Canberra run for bicentenary celebrations, by a head from the Kiwi champ, Bonecrusher with seven lengths to Dandy Andy.

Unfortunately, we never saw his best, but it is very possible he could have won a Caulfield Cup, Melbourne Cup or Cox Plate on his day. When at his peak fitness, Beau Zam seemed to be full of running and would glide as he kicked away from the opposition.

Beau Zam was one of the greatest champions the legendary Bart Cummings trained, winning 11 of his 28 races including the AJC Derby, Tancred Stakes, Ranvet Stakes, Spring Champion Stakes and was voted 1988 Australian Horse of the Year. Blessed with extraordinary stamina and brilliant acceleration, Beau Zam was the first Australian racehorse to earn $2m in prizemoney. One of Beau Zam's greatest wins was his epic defeat of Bonecrusher in the 1988 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Canberra. Her Majesty was in attendance that day and met Cummings and his family, including son Anthony and his wife Bernadette, who was pregnant at the time with James. Beau Zam started his stud career in Japan in 1991. He came back to New Zealand in 1996 to Nick and Anne-Marie King’s Brighthill Farm in the Waikato.

RACE RECORD - 28: 11:5:2

EARNINGS - $2,388,675

1987 Hill Stakes (1750m)

1987 AJC Spring Champion Stakes (2000m)

1988 Segenhoe Stakes (2000m)

1988 Tancred Stakes (2400m)

1988 AJC Derby (2400m)

1988 AJC St Leger (2800m)

1988 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (2000m)

1989 Apollo Stakes (1400m)

1989 Segenhoe Stakes (2000m)

He was also placed:

2nd in the 1987 Caulfield Cup (2400m)

2nd in the 1989 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m)

3rd in the 1989 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (ATC) (2000m)