Fears of a small field for the Zipping Classic didn't eventuate after connections of nine horses this morning paid up for Saturday's $350,000 Group 2 at Sportingbet Park (Sandown).Emirates Melbourne Cup runners Mourayan (barrier one) and Precedence (three) head the field for the 2400-metre weight-for-age contest, which is the co-feature on the nine-race card that is the final metropolitan meeting of the Spring Racing Carnival.Mourayan's Robert Hickmott-trained stablemate Tanby (seven), He's Hot

Fears of a small field for the Zipping Classic didn't eventuate after connections of nine horses this morning paid up for Saturday's $350,000 Group 2 at Sportingbet Park (Sandown).

Emirates Melbourne Cup runners Mourayan (barrier one) and Precedence (three) head the field for the 2400-metre weight-for-age contest, which is the co-feature on the nine-race card that is the final metropolitan meeting of the Spring Racing Carnival.

Mourayan's Robert Hickmott-trained stablemate Tanby (seven), He's Hot To Trot (six), Garud (five), Umatic (four) and Dame Claire (nine) round out the older horses engaged.

Rawnaq (two) will fly the flag for three-year-olds with the Victoria Derby third placegetter striving to become the first youngster to win the race since Count Ricardo in 2004.

He's not the only high-quality three-year-old who will be engaged at Sandown this Saturday with the $350,000 Group 2 accompanying the Classic as the day's co-feature.

That 1600m event has attracted a full field of 16, headed by Carbine Club Stakes winner Lunar Rise (14), who is trained by legendary trainer Bart Cummings, who today celebrates his 85th birthday.

Fellow Melbourne Cup Carnival winners Flying Skipper (11) and Eximius (four) are also engaged, along with the latter's Mick Price-trained stablemates Al Aneed (nine) and Hunger (13).

Peter Snowden's runners Tatra and Proverb drew alongside each other in barriers seven and eight, while Gold Medals' quest to provide Bill and Symon Wilde with back-to-back wins in the race will be carried out from the inside alley.

Another highlight of the card is the $150,000 Sportingbet Sandown Cup (3200m), which will be run at Listed level for the first time.

Last week's Queen Elizabeth Stakes runner-up Ironstein (eight) heads the field, with Unusual Suspect (11), while Ibicenco (two), Reuben Percival (12) and Verdant (six) are among the others engaged.

There are a couple of Group 1 winners engaged throughout the day's support events, including Stradbroke Handicap winner Mid Summer Music, who will run in the $120,000 Listed TMB Printing Kevin Heffernan Stakes.

Hot Snitzel, Unpretentious, Chasm, Thankgodyou'rehere, Under The Eiffel and stablemates Highly Recommended and Shout Out Loud are among Mid Summer Music's rivals in the 1300m event.

Australasian Oaks winner Invest takes on the likes of Cup Week winners ╔clair Surprise, Niconoise and Kasane, the white-hot Star Of Giselle, Australian Guineas runner-up Strike The Stars and Group 2 winner Shewan in the $150,000 Group 3 Snowhite Maintenance Eclipse Stakes (1800m).

There are several other Black Type events on the card, including the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes, which features Purrific, runner-up to the unbeaten Villa Verde on Melbourne Cup Day, and a number of well-bred debutantes.