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Zipping Classic day: Preview and tips

12th November, 2015
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Caulfield racing, baby! (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)
Expert
12th November, 2015
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Zipping Classic day is always a relaxed way to end the Melbourne spring carnival, especially after the hectic nature of Cup week.

As punters on this day we usually have to decide between two different types of horse in each race.

There are the Group 1 quality horses that have been racing all spring, looking for one last good run post what they’d been set for, and perhaps their first win of the campaign. And then there are the slightly lesser horses that may have been set for a race on this day, with connections hoping for an inferior field, but still able to collect a Group 2 or Group 3 win.

The Sandown track is usually fair, and we sorely need it to be the case this year after what we’ve had to put up with over the last month.

The Zipping Classic is the feature race of the day, worth $300,000 as the first of two Group 2 races. At face value it looks a race in three.

Dandino is the current favourite with the impeccable lead-up form of fourth in the Turnbull Stakes, second in the Geelong Cup, and winner of the Queen Elizabeth last Saturday. He’s been competing against the best all campaign, and is yet to run poorly.

Rising Romance has the genuine Group 1 weight-for-age form, running second in the Makybe Diva Stakes and Mackinnon Stakes, either side of average runs in the Turnbull and Caulfield Cup. She’s a top class mare, and an obvious winning chance.

Even though Who Shot Thebarman hasn’t been able to finish better than fifth in any run this prep, but he’s been taking on the best and has been racing more than well enough to win something like this. He’s run into a deeper field than usual here though, but coming into this race off a Melbourne Cup run is a proven winning formula, which is a tick in his corner.

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Tall Ship is right in the market, but I’ll be staggered if he goes close, and it’s hard to make any sort of case for Don Doremo or Do You Remember. Kirramosa is the knock-out chance if there’s to be one, she’s a good horse that’s been running well in higher grade.

Selections
1. Who Shot Thebarman
2. Rising Romance
3. Dandino
4. Kirramosa

The Sandown Guineas is the other Group 2 on the card, and well worth winning with $150,000 up for grabs to the victorious connections. This is a race that fillies do well in, and can also provide an upset result.

Don’t Doubt Mamma is favourite, and understandably so given how the fillies have held sway over the colts this season, and her form is around the very best of her sex. She won with authority on Melbourne Cup day over 1400 metres, but did only run fairly over 1600 metres at the start prior, so that’s a little query.

The Carbine Club on Derby Day often provides the Sandown Guineas winner, and there’s a handful here that are coming through it.

Mahuta won the Carbine Club, albeit benefitting from the rails bias and a smart ride, but three wins on the trot must be respected, as should be the stable that he’s from.

He’ll cross from a wide barrier, but if he can do so without much effort he should be able to set a tempo to suit himself. Patch Adams was the eye-catcher from the race, eating up the ground in the drive to the line, but he’d also had favours in the run.

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He’s Our Rokki had a tougher time of it, forced wide on the turn coming from last, and making good ground in the quicksand further off the fence than the other two. He might be the one to beat from the race.

Dal Cielo is the interesting runner, the only one here to have run in the Caulfield or Thousand Guineas. He started his campaign in New Zealand, and has been up and down in his distances. It’s hard to know whether he’s got another run in him, but he must be a chance.

Gredington looks the best rough chance if he can reproduce his Stutt Stakes run instead of his Carbine Club flop. Demonstrate was excellent with weight behind Palentino after doing some work on Stakes Day. He might be ready now, and looks a value hope.

Selections
1. He’s Our Rokki
2. Demonstrate
3. Don’t Doubt Mamma
4. Mahuta

There’s some great racing elsewhere on the card too with the Kevin Heffernan Stakes for the sprinters at WFA over the unusual 1300 metres trip, the Sandown Stakes over 1500 metres for the milers and the Eclipse Stakes over 1800 metres, which looks particularly deep and tough.

The Sandown Cup over 3200 metres for the stayers, including the likes of The Offer, Almoonqith, Grand Marshal and old man Precedence has the makings of a very good edition, and the mares race to finish the day over 1500 metres is always a good affair, with this being no exception.

Rightly or wrongly, I always think of this day as when horses that have raced well without winning usually get their victory, so in respective order of the above, I’ll be going for Under the Louvre, Ninth Legion, Malice, Grand Marshal and Ballet Suite.

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