Written by Georgie Dennis
Grahame Begg had high hopes for Nonconformist (Rebel Raider) leading into this year’s spring carnival and the trainer hopes the 4-year-old gelding can reach some of those lofty heights in the G1 Cantala S. at Flemington on Saturday.
The son of Rebel Raider took out the G3 Coongy Cup at his home track of Caulfield last start and while the winner of the 2000 metre race earns a ticket into the G1 Caulfield Cup, Begg opted to bypass the staying feature in favour of the mile handicap at Flemington, and he is very pleased with his condition ahead of the race.
“We’re very, very happy with the way he’s going,” Begg said.
“He put together a nice performance to win last start which is very encouraging and he’s going from 2000 back to a mile which we don’t think will be any problem.
“He put together a nice performance to win last start which is very encouraging and he’s going from 2000 back to a mile which we don’t think will be any problem." - Grahame Begg
“He’s rock hard fit, he has certainly come on from his last run and he’s had a good three-week buffer between runs after a big gap between his first-up run and his second-up run so we think it’s brought him right on.”
Nonconformist was originally on a path to the Caulfield Cup at the start of the spring but a minor setback derailed that plan and Begg switched his focus from the 2400 metre feature to the mile handicap.
“His blood profile after his first-up run wasn’t great and he was due to have his second-up run so we aborted that race and it took a couple of weeks to get his blood back to how we wanted it and get him back on song,” the trainer said.
“Then his second-up run he ran on a very wet track and things just didn’t pan out for him so then he went to 2000 (metres) at his next start and won.”
Begg thinks Nonconformist will relish dropping back down to the distance of which he has won over twice earlier this year and has taken inspiration from other trainers who have used the technique before.
“He’s only had two starts at 2000 metres and he’s won both times so we certainly think he’s a middle-distance horse,” he said. “But in the past it seems to have been a good recipe, running at 2000 metres and dropping back to a mile.
“That’s been used by a lot of people over a period of time so hopefully he can add to that.”
In his post-race interview after Nonconformist won the Coongy Cup, Begg seemed visibly emotional to have the horse back in the winner’s stall and he says he’s just a special horse for him and his team.
“He’s my flagship horse at this point in time and it was just good to get him back on song and be able to head into a Group 1,” he said.
“He’s my flagship horse at this point in time and it was just good to get him back on song and be able to head into a Group 1." - Grahame Begg
Nonconformist was bred by the Henwood family who have retained him to race and Begg said the gelding came into his care through Danielle Henwood, who is a former employee of his.
“I know Danielle Henwood very well," he said. "She’s worked for me off and on down at the Mornington stable in Pinecliff so that’s how the association started.
"She’s pre-trained a few horses for me and worked for me so they asked me to train the horse and it’s turned out to be quite successful."
