Zipping’s top form finds fine favour

THE Sandown Classic has been renamed in a nod to reigning four-time winner and Betfair Park favourite Zipping.
The Melbourne Racing Club last week took the historic step of introducing the Zipping Classic after a unanimous vote at the club’s annual general meeting on Thursday.
Last month, the Lloyd Williams-owned nine-year-old gelding, who last year became the first horse to win the race three times in a history stretching back to 1888, took his tally to four successive victories.
By doing so, Zipping became only the fourth horse in Australian racing history to win the same Group race four or more years in succession.
The Sandown Classic was first run as the Williamstown Cup in 1888 and later renamed the Sandown Cup in 1962.
In 1999 the race’s name was changed to the Sandown Classic and converted from a handicap to a weight-for-age race.
The race has been run at the now defunct Williamstown Racecourse, Caulfield, Flemington, Moonee Valley and, of course, Betfair Park, Sandown, making it the only event to have been contested on five Melbourne metropolitan tracks.
Melbourne Racing Club chairman Mike Symons said it was fitting to perpetuate Zipping’s name with the race he has made his own since 2007.
“He’s a superstar,” Symons said. “Zipping is synonymous with the Sandown Classic – we thought we would give the horse the chance to win a race named after him”.
The Zipping Classic will retain the Group 2 status.