FLEM MAR 13 - ZIPPING NOW A GROUP 1 WINNER

By Scott Gooley and Graham Potter | Sunday, March 14, 2010

Flemington, March 13, 2010.
Track - Good 3. Rail -True.
Australian Cup (Group 1 - WFA). Time: 2-03:69 (Carrying 59kgs).
1 Zipping; 2 Sirmione; 3 Moatize.

Evergreen galloper Zipping has finally landed his maiden Group One title with the narrowest of victories in the Australian Cup.

The eight year old son of Danehill had competed at the top level on fourteen previous occasions with four placings to his credit. Those results include a fourth placing in the Melbourne Cup and both a second and a third placing in the Cox Plate, so his quality was never in question.

Zipping was coming off a first-up run over 1400m in the C.F.Orr stakes a month earlier where he had finished six and half lengths behind winner, Typhoon Tracey.

With the step up in distance to 2000m and being a proven weight for age performer, punters were prepared to support the Lloyd Williams owned galloper who started second favourite ($6) behind Heart Of Dreams ($5).

Jumping with the field from his wide gate, Zipping, ridden by Nicolas Hall, was looking to settle in midfield, but he found himself caught three wide with no chance of getting in.

As Barbaricus showed the way at the head of affairs from Divine Rebel it soon became evident that Zipping was going to be caught three wide for the duration of the contest.

Hall elected to ride a patient race in the circumstances and Zipping went back to eight lengths off the pace as Barbaricus took the field past the 1000m mark.

By the 600m Zipping moved closer to the action as the field bunched up quickly due to moderate mid-race tempo. Miss Maren, who had been racing just off the speed in fifth spot, pulled three wide to commence her run. This enabled Zipping to get onto her back and for the first time in the race, get some cover in the run as together they closed in on the leaders.

Straightening for the run home Miss Maren, with Zipping still trailing her, joined Zarita, Divine Rebel and Barbaricus in the lead with Heart Of Dreams waiting for the run behind them. At the 400m Hall was hard at work on Zipping. He angled his mount out around the heels of Miss Maren and urged it to take the split between Miss Maren and Littorio, who had made a bold forward move to his outside.

By the 250m Zipping had pushed past those two runners but he still had a serious battle on his hands as Sirmione, who had come from the tail of the field, was finishing hard on the outside while Heart Of Dreams and Divine Rebel were still very much in the mix along the inside.

Between the 200m and the 100m Zipping and Sirmione found the strength to edge away from all other challengers and they became engrossed in a punishing stride for stride battle over the concluding stages.

There was never much in it, but when Sirmione got his nose in front with 50m left to run, it looked like Zipping might again have to settle for second best in Group 1 company, but Hall got his mount to rally again. Relishing the fight, Zipping fought back in tenacious fashion and the two runners flashed through the line together, sending the decision up to the judge’s tower where the photograph showed Zipping had got home by the narrowest of margins.

Full credit has to go to trainer Robert Hickmott and the Macedon Lodge team for keeping the eight-year-old in such firm, fighting trim.

Zipping is now a fourteen-time winner and has amassed over $3 million in stakes.

Plaudits too, as always, to trainer Bart Cummings who was denied a double Group 1 success on the day by the proverbial whisker. Sirmione did him proud, as did Sirmione’s stable mate, Moatize ($31), who ran on best of the rest, closing up late to claim an eye-catching third place.

Heart Of Dreams finished fourth.

WINNER FEEDBACK
Part Owner Nick Williams: “He’s a tough horse. I thought Sirmione had him. I was sure Sirmione had him, but he wouldn’t get beaten.”

“It’s terrific for all the team up there at Macedon particularly two people who have looked after this horse since forever. Rodney Miller and Jason Chandler, it’s terrific for them.”

“I can’t speak highly enough for what they’ve done for this horse. It’s a great day for all our team.

“It’s very difficult to beat Bart (Cummings) at the best of times. It shows how great he is. The best we could do with this horse, in career best from, was beat him by an inch.”

Jockey Nick Hall: “There looked like there wasn’t going to be much natural speed in the race and it turned out that way.

“He got trapped wide but, with the lack of speed, I didn’t want him going right back to last and I thought that might be my only other option. I took the punt for the mid-field position and he’s just tough. Very tough.”

“Luke (Nolen, rider of Sirmione) was tough. He had to do a bit more than us around the turn. We’d done enough and were entitled to be run down but, credit to the stable, credit to the horse, he toughed it out well.”

PRICES:
Zipping (6.00); Sirmione (7.50); Moatize (31.00).

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Moatize, Miss Maren (NZ), Extra Zero and Zagreb were all slow to begin. Littorio, which was slow to begin, was then inconvenienced when having to be steadied away from the heels of Zipping, which shifted in.

Zipping raced wide without cover.

Near the 200m, Zarita (NZ), which was commencing to weaken, was taken out slightly by Extra Zero and as a result had to be steadied off the heels of Tobique.

D Dunn (Zarita) reported on the scales that he was required to position Zarita (NZ) in a more forward position than he would have liked in the early stages and felt that this was the reason she did not finish the race off. A post-race veterinary examination of Zarita (NZ) revealed no abnormalities.

During the running of the race, Zarita (NZ) and Divine Rebel (NZ) cast their near-fore plates.

A post-race veterinary examination of Barbaricus revealed no abnormalities.

P Gatt (Zagreb) was issued with a severe reprimand for breaching the provisions of AR.137A(5)(a)(ii) in that he used his whip in a forehand manner on seven occasions, two more than is permissible under the Rules.

N Hall (Zipping) was fined the sum of $1000 for breaching the provisions of AR.137A(5)(a)(ii) in that he used his whip in a forehand manner on 10 occasions, five more than is permissible under the Rules.

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