Joseph O'Brien's Small Fry, beaten a half-length by Melbourne Cup winner Point Of Law at Geelong, heads the early betting for Saturday's Group 2 Zipping Classic at Sandown.
Small Fry was the horse who ran second to Point Of Law in the Geelong Cup, and we all know what Point Of Law did next. On Saturday, the Irish stayer gets his own feature-race chance in the Group 2 Zipping Classic at Sandown.
The race
The Zipping Classic is a $750,000 weight-for-age race over 2400m. It's one of the last big staying races of the Victorian spring, and it often draws horses coming out of the Cups.
Small Fry's story
Trained by Joseph O'Brien and owned by OTI and Terry Henderson, Small Fry went to the Geelong Cup as his path into the Melbourne Cup and was beaten only a half-length by Point Of Law. That run didn't get him into the Cup. O'Brien has said the stable chose the wrong preparation, but the horse is in good form. This will be his final Melbourne run for O'Brien before he moves to the Phillip and Tommy Stokes stable.
He was the early favourite when markets opened on Monday.
The Cup brigade
Ciaron Maher, fresh from training the Melbourne Cup trifecta, could run several stayers:
- Juja Kibo – third behind Point Of Law and Zahrann in last week's Melbourne Cup
- Middle Earth – a Melbourne Cup placegetter in recent years
- Smokin' Romans – among the possible runners
Kingswood is also prominent in the early betting, and Chris Waller has Asterix and Travolta among the possibles. Asterix was withdrawn on stewards' orders before the Melbourne Cup. She's A Hustler, last year's winner, is expected to defend her title.
The punting angle
The big question is the Cup runners backing up. Juja Kibo ran a huge race over 3200m only 11 days before this, and a quick turnaround after a hard run doesn't suit every horse. Small Fry comes in fresher, with form that has been boosted by Point Of Law's Cup win. Check the final field and the track rating on Thursday before you settle on a view.