Grahame Begg’s talented mare She’s A Hustler has come up with the perfect barrier draw of gate three for Saturday’s Group 2 Zipping Classic, which has attracted a full field of 14 runners at Caulfield.
The daughter of Ace High, narrowly beaten in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes at her latest outing, has never finished outside the top two in 10 career starts. She will be racing at Caulfield for the first time, making the favourable draw even more advantageous.
Alalcance — who finished third behind She’s A Hustler in the Matriarch — will jump from the neighbouring barrier four. They are the only mares in this year’s edition of the race.
Among the male contenders, Etna Rosso has drawn barrier eight and brings consistent recent form after placing third on a variety of track conditions in his past two runs. Berkshire Breeze, who ran a solid fourth in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup, has drawn gate seven.
Berkshire Breeze is one of five representatives from the Ciaron Maher stable, joining Light Infantry Man (nine), Smokin’ Romans (14), Interpretation (one) and Strawberry Rock (10).
Earlier on the program, 13 juveniles will line up in the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes, while the inaugural Melbourne Class has drawn a field of 10 three-year-olds for the 2000m contest.
If you’re planning to bet on the Zipping Classic or the undercard, compare Australia’s best bookmakers here: Australian betting sites list.
Zipping Classic Field
| No | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LIGHT INFANTRY MAN (FR) | Ciaron Maher | Ethan Brown | 9 | 59kg |
| 2 | KOVALICA (NZ) | Chris Waller | Beau Mertens | 5 | 59kg |
| 3 | SMOKIN’ ROMANS (NZ) | Ciaron Maher | Ben Melham | 14 | 59kg |
| 4 | ALENQUER (FR) | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | Ben Allen | 12 | 59kg |
| 5 | HEZASHOCKA (NZ) | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Harry Coffey | 11 | 59kg |
| 6 | INTERPRETATION (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | 1 | 59kg | |
| 7 | BRAYDEN STAR (GB) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | John Allen | 2 | 59kg |
| 8 | ETNA ROSSO (IRE) | Chris Waller | Michael Dee | 8 | 59kg |
| 9 | STRAWBERRY ROCK (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Declan Bates | 10 | 59kg |
| 10 | BERKSHIRE BREEZE (IRE) | Ciaron Maher | Mark Zahra | 7 | 59kg |
| 11 | GARACHICO (GB) | Dominic Sutton | Billy Egan | 6 | 59kg |
| 12 | STAR VEGA (IRE) | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Lachlan Neindorf | 13 | 59kg |
| 13 | ALALCANCE (GB) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Craig Williams | 4 | 57kg |
| 14 | SHE’S A HUSTLER (NZ) | Grahame Begg | Jordan Childs | 3 | 57kg |