Michael Rodd is hoping his first ride for trainer Robert Hickmott proves to be a winning one on Zipping in Saturday's Sandown Classic.The Lloyd Williams-owned Zipping will be chasing a history-making third straight win in the Group Two weight-for-age feature.Now an eight-year-old, Zipping was prepared by John Sadler, who split with Williams Racing a week ago, when he won the Sandown Classic in 2007 and 2008.Zipping was Sadler's first runner as private trainer for Williams in the 2007 Classic, re

Michael Rodd is hoping his first ride for trainer Robert Hickmott proves to be a winning one on Zipping in Saturday's Sandown Classic.

The Lloyd Williams-owned Zipping will be chasing a history-making third straight win in the Group Two weight-for-age feature.

Now an eight-year-old, Zipping was prepared by John Sadler, who split with Williams Racing a week ago, when he won the Sandown Classic in 2007 and 2008.

Zipping was Sadler's first runner as private trainer for Williams in the 2007 Classic, replacing Graeme Rogerson who resigned from the job following his controversial comments after Efficient's Melbourne Cup victory.

Steven Arnold, who is no longer part of the Williams team, won the race aboard Zipping two years ago while Rodd won on him last year.

Rodd was on Thursday making preparations for his wedding to Cara Aspinall on Sunday.

"Zipping was his first winner for John Sadler when he won the Sandown Classic on him last year so to win it again at his first ride for Robert Hickmott would be quite unbelievable," Rodd's manager Mick O'Brien said.

Rodd, the leading rider over the Melbourne Cup carnival with six winners including the VRC Oaks aboard Faint Perfume, has taken four rides at the Hillside meeting and won't return to race riding until the first week of December.

He'll also ride Silver Spur in the Group Two Sandown Guineas (1600m) for trainer Paul Messara, Tolka Rock in the Rokk Ebony Hcp (1300m) for Chris Hyland and Sparkling Satine in the Listed Summoned Stakes (1500m) for the Danny O'Brien stable.

Zipping goes into the Classic on a much lighter preparation this year having been scratched after getting down in the barrier stalls before the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) which was won by Saturday's rival Scenic Shot.

The Danehill gelding has since trialled to the satisfaction of stewards and will have the use of a barrier extension for the first time on Saturday.

Zipping also didn't run in the Melbourne Cup this year, a race he contested the previous three years finishing fourth to Delta Blues in 2006, fourth to stablemate Efficient in 2007 and ninth to Viewed last year.

He goes into the 2400m event having not raced for three weeks when third to So You Think in the Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley, a race in which he was runner-up to Maldivian last year and eighth to El Segundo in 2007.

Among his nine rivals will be stablemate C'est La Guerre (Nick Hall) who ran eighth in the Melbourne Cup.

Hickmott will saddle up his first runners as a trainer in the opening event, the Cool Melbourne Plate (1700m), Tintern (Hall) and Interlocking (Eddie Cassar).