Leading owner Lloyd Williams believes Zipping is better equipped than a year ago as he attempts to win his second Group Two Sandown Classic on Saturday.Williams said the spacing of the seven-year-old's runs and his relatively easy time in this year's Melbourne Cup gave him his best shot at becoming the first horse to win the 2400m feature race twice on the Sandown track.In just 10 days last year Zipping ran in the Cox Plate, the Mackinnon Stakes and the Melbourne Cup but Williams and trainer Joh
Leading owner Lloyd Williams believes Zipping is better equipped than a year ago as he attempts to win his second Group Two Sandown Classic on Saturday.
Williams said the spacing of the seven-year-old's runs and his relatively easy time in this year's Melbourne Cup gave him his best shot at becoming the first horse to win the 2400m feature race twice on the Sandown track.
In just 10 days last year Zipping ran in the Cox Plate, the Mackinnon Stakes and the Melbourne Cup but Williams and trainer John Sadler dropped the Mackinnon from this year's spring schedule.
The result, Williams believes, is a fresher horse especially as Zipping didn't get to stretch out in the Melbourne Cup until the home straight.
"Really, he only ran home his last two furlongs (400m) in the Cup," Williams said.
"He was back out of the race second last on the corner and had a very chequered run."
Zipping has contested the last three Melbourne Cups, finishing fourth in 2006 and 2007 and ninth this year.
Williams said the most pleasing aspect of this year's performance was Zipping's finishing burst.
"I think he ran the best sectionals of the whole race the last two furlongs," Williams said.
The Cup was Zipping's fifth spring run last year while this spring it was only his fourth and it came after a luckless second to Maldivian in the Cox Plate (2040m) and an eye-catching third to Littorio and Master O'Reilly in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m).
"It is hard to say but he is probably in a bit better order than last year," Williams said.
"He ran well in the Turnbull, he ran well in the Cox Plate and he should run well again here.
"He likes the jar out of the ground and he gets that tomorrow."
With the track on Friday rated a dead (5), Zipping is the dominant favourite at $2.20 with TAB Sportsbet and Williams remains cautiously optimistic.
"I'm pretty happy with him but it doesn't mean he is a certainty," Williams said.
"He is well and we are hoping for the best but I think it is a better race than last year."
New Zealanders Red Ruler and Capecover, who won last Saturday's Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2500m), share the second line of betting at $7.50.
Queen Elizabeth Stakes placegetters Light Vision and Baughurst are next in the market at $8.50 along with Yalumba Stakes winner Douro Valley who is on trial for next month's Group One Hong Kong Vase (2400m) at Sha Tin.
New Zealand Oaks winner Boundless has been scratched from the race because of a chipped fetlock.
The Sandown Classic, formerly the Sandown Cup, was originally known as the Williamstown Cup until 1962 when it had a name change and moved to Caulfield.
The race moved to its current home when Sandown racecourse was opened in 1965.