Zoum Zoum

Rob Hornby, the jockey who has partnered Zoum Zoum most often, has won with it three times from five races together. That is a 60% win rate, which is remarkably high and suggests the pair have found an effective understanding. Without Hornby, the horse has won just once from 12 races. The trainer Ralph Beckett and his team have long believed in Zoum Zoum's potential — Beckett once described it as looking more like a giraffe than a racehorse, until suddenly, late in 2023, it started to deliver on promise at home. That belief led to targets like the Greenham Stakes, a significant early-season race for improving horses.

Yet the recent form tells a sobering story. Zoum Zoum has not won in its last six races, and it has not tasted victory since October 2024 — nearly two years ago. Most troublingly, when stepped up to compete regularly against the very top class, it has failed to win at all, going zero for nine at that level. The horse plainly runs well in lower company and shines when Hornby is riding, but it has not been able to bridge the gap to sustained success at the highest level. Raced actively and still competing as recently as yesterday, Zoum Zoum remains a work in progress.