Three-year-old Zipping Boy has relished a drop in weight and the heavy ground to record a brave win at Sandown.
Saturday’s victory in the Ladbrokes Punters Assist Handicap (1000m) was Zipping Boy’s sixth in a nine-start career and his first in open company.
Zipping Boy relished the heavy ground, registering his third win under those track conditions, while the track also favoured horses that raced on the speed.
Making use of the 2kg claim of apprentice Will Price, Zipping Boy was sent off the $3.40 favourite before holding off Express Pass ($3.80) by a half-head with Ruban Bleu ($21) a short-neck away third.
Zipping Boy has shown versatility throughout his career winning on the synthetic track at Pakenham, on heavy ground at Sale and Flemington along with a good surface at his last start prior to Saturday’s success.
Trainer Jerome Hunter said Zipping Boy was a good horse and that he elected to save the gelding for Saturday’s assignment after seeing the race on the calendar.
“He was going to run last week but he was going to carry 59.5 kilos without the claim,” Hunter said.
“So, I dropped him back (in trip) and I thought with 52 kilos on a wet track that he’d be hard to beat.
“There’s a couple of races coming up as he’s won over 1100 metres and he’s done that pretty easy too.
“The horse just knows how to race. Numerous times they were going to catch him today but he’s a real fighter.
“He’s handled the synthetic track, a Good 4, heavy tracks, he’s just a racehorse and now he’s had nine starts for six wins.
“He’s a good horse.”
