Ladbrokes Tip: Spring Cup contenders often finish their preps in the Zipping Classic
The latest edition of the Zipping Classic ran on Saturday November 29, 2025 at Caulfield Racecourse and saw the talented Grahame Begg trained mare She’s A Hustler ($3.10F) surge late to wear down the front-running Light Infantry Man and salute for the punters.
2025 Zipping Classic Results
The full Zipping Classic 2025 Results & Finishing Order will be provided below once the race is run and won on Saturday November 29, 2025.
- 1st: No. 14 She’s A Hustler
- 2nd: No. 1 Light Infantry Man
- 3rd: No. 8 Etna Rosso
She’s A Hustler ($3.10F) delivered a career-defining performance to head the 2025 Zipping Classic results at Caulfield on Saturday.
Trained by Grahame Begg and ridden by Jordan Childs, the five-year-old Ace High mare stepped up to weight-for-age company for the first time in the 2400m Group 2 feature and proved her staying credentials.
Despite appearing vulnerable around the home turn, she balanced up strongly and surged past multiple Group 1 winner Light Infantry Man in the final strides to score by a short neck, with Etna Rosso finishing third.
The victory marked her first Group 2 success and confirmed Begg’s plan to target the 2026 Caulfield Cup, run over the same course and distance.
Already a consistent performer with seven wins and four seconds from 11 starts, She’s A Hustler will now be spelled before being aimed at an autumn and winter campaign in Queensland, a pathway that has produced recent Caulfield Cup champions.
2025 Zipping Classic Odds
The season’s top Zipping Classic 2025 odds and betting market links will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned for access to the top odds on the last of the spring staying races.
| 14. She's A Hustler (3) J: Jordan Childs 57kg 2x112T: Grahame Begg | ||
| 1. Light Infantry Man (9) J: Ethan Brown 59kg 06955T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 8. Etna Rosso (8) J: Michael Dee 59kg 03022T: Chris Waller | ||
| 4. Alenquer (11) J: Ben Allen 59kg x6027T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes | ||
| 2. Kovalica (5) J: Beau Mertens 59kg 05430T: Chris Waller | ||
| 13. Alalcance (4) J: Craig Williams 57kg 0x6x3T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | ||
| 3. Smokin' Romans (13) J: Ben Melham 59kg 29480T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 7. Brayden Star (2) J: John Allen 59kg 45104T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | ||
| 12. Star Vega (12) J: Lachlan Neindorf 59kg 96x42T: Anthony & Sam Freedman | ||
| 6. Interpretation (1) J: Teo Nugent 59kg x0705T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 11. Garachico (6) J: Billy Egan 59kg 246x7T: Dominic Sutton | ||
| 10. Berkshire Breeze (7) J: Mark Zahra 59kg x6264T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 5. Hezashocka (10) J: Harry Coffey 59kg 0x406T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr |
Zipping Classic Tips
Good Zipping Classic tips include backing the proven stayers in the field with winning form over the mile and a half, graduates from the Melbourne Cup (3200m) held on the first Tuesday of November and runners with weight-for-age form.
Vow And Declare (10th in 2022) and Military Mission (10th in 2023) are the latest Melbourne Cup graduates to back-up and win the Zipping Classic. Vow And Declare’s 2022 Zipping Classic win was also his first victory since the 2019 Melbourne Cup!
Another top Zipping Classic betting tip is to not back a runner over $10 in betting as Sound ($20 in 2021) was the first winner at double-figures in over a decade.
2025 Zipping Classic Tips
Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Zipping Classic 2025 betting tips and exotic Melbourne racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the staying horses to back and sack in the $750,000 feature.
To Win: No. 13 Alalcance
ALALCANCE (4) looks the danger in Saturday’s Zipping Classic, with the powerhouse Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott yard chasing another feature trophy after striking two years ago with Military Mission.
This tough six‑year‑old grey mare by Mastercraftsman is a genuine staying type and gets back to her sweet spot over 2400m. Her record at the trip is rock‑solid (5:2‑3‑0) and she’s already proven herself out to 2600m, so while a few rivals may be tested by the distance, Alalcance should thrive.
Punters will recall her autumn hot streak in Sydney when she bolted in by big margins in both the Group 3 NE Manion Cup (2400m) and the Group 2 Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) before coming unstuck in the Sydney Cup over two miles. That aside, she’s been ultra‑consistent and has the right credentials to measure up in this company.
She returned with an eye‑catching third in the Matriarch Stakes and now strips fitter second‑up, perfectly drawn in barrier four. With Craig Williams booked – a proven big‑race rider – Alalcance shapes as a serious winning chance.
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13. Alalcance (4)
J: Craig Williams 57kg
0x6x3T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
|
The Zipping Classic, formerly the Sandown Classic, is a Group 2 race previously held at Sandown in late November at the end of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
In 2021 the Zipping Classic Day card was moved to late November and took place at Caulfield Racecourse where it remained for the 2022 edition.
In 2023 the Zipping Classic ran on the first Saturday in December, while it has taken place on the last Saturday in November since 2024.
Zipping Classic Day features two other Group status races with the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes (1800m) and the Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1400m) currently the other key support acts on the card.
Named in honour of the race’s four-time winner Zipping (2007-10), the Zipping Classic traditionally takes place on the second Saturday of November a week after the Melbourne Cup Carnival concludes at Flemington with Mackinnon Stakes Day.
Offering $750,000 in prize money having had stakes boosted in 2021, the weight-for-age race makes a nice final spring run for gallopers coming off races like the iconic Melbourne Cup.
Zipping Classic Race Info
- Date: Saturday November 29, 2025
- Former Race Name: Sandown Classic
- Track: Caulfield Racecourse (moved from Sandown Racecourse in 2021)
- Distance: 2400m
- Conditions: Weight-for-age
- Status: Group 2
- Prize Money: $750,000
- First Run: 1888
Zipping Classic Betting
Zipping Classic betting is open at the start of race week and markets are led by proven stayers with winning form over the mile and a half.
Previous experience at the racetrack is not essential, but past Melbourne form helps determine the order of the Zipping Classic odds as does the runners’ abilities at weight-for-age.
Any Caulfield and Melbourne Cup graduates dropping in class also sit high up the markets and double-figure winners are rare.
Sound ($20 in 2021) successfully defended his Zipping Classic title as a nine-year-old and was the first winner at double-figure odds in over a decade.
There was also an upset in 2023 with Military Mission improving on a Melbourne Cup 10th to win at Zipping Classic odds of $13.
Arapaho ($4.40 in 2024) and She’s A Hustler ($3.10 in 2025) are the latest favourites in Zipping Classic betting to win.
Zipping Classic Field
The Zipping Classic race field attracts a strong line-up of spring stayers that are just off the best long-distance performers of the season.
Horses in the Zipping Classic field often back-up from a run in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) in October and the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) on the first Tuesday of November, but placegetters in these major Spring Cups rarely continue onto the second-tier event.
The 2015 Zipping Classic winner Who Shot Thebarman was unplaced in that year’s Caulfield Cup (7th) and Melbourne Cup (11th) but did run third in the previous year’s Melbourne Cup. The year before Au Revoir (2014) won the Sandown Classic on the back of a Melbourne Cup eighth. In 2016 the international UK visitor for Godolphin, Beautiful Romance, improved on a Melbourne Cup seventh first-up in Australia to win the Sandown Zipping Classic narrowly next-up.
Back in 2011 American won the Zipping Classic following a Melbourne Cup fourth when narrowly missing out on his second win in the ‘race that stops a nation’.
Zipping also won his first of four Sandown Classic titles in 2007 following a Melbourne Cup fourth, the same form for his last victory in 2010. In 2008 he came off a Melbourne Cup ninth, while in 2009 the champ won the Sandown Classic on the back of a Cox Plate third.
Most recently, the 2019 Zipping Classic winner Southern France improved on a 19th in the Melbourne Cup results that spring, while in 2021 the Melbourne Cup third place-getter Spanish Mission finished fourth as the beaten favourite in the Zipping Classic results that saw three roughies run the trifecta.
One of the earlier lead-up races into the Zipping Classic field is Moonee Valley’s Group 3 JRA Cup (2040m) run in late September and The Taj Mahal (2018) was the last to do the double.
Zipping Classic nominations are taken the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday with final acceptances and the barrier draw released on the Wednesday.
2025 Zipping Classic Field
The official Zipping Classic 2025 Field & Barriers will be published in full below once announced on the Wednesday of race week so stay tuned to see what end-of-spring stayers make the starting line-up in the time-honoured race.
The Zipping Classic 2025 final field features a star-studded line-up of end-of-spring stayers including Ciaron Maher’s Australian Cup champ from the Autumn Light Infantry Man and the flying Grahame Begg trained She’s A Hustler who is yet to run outside the top two in her 10 career starts.
| Entrant | Last 6 | Sex | Barrier | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Light Infantry Man
J: Ethan Brown
T: Ciaron Maher |
x06955 | G | 9 | 59kg | |
|
2. Kovalica
J: Beau Mertens
T: Chris Waller |
x05430 | G | 5 | 59kg | |
|
3. Smokin' Romans
J: Ben Melham
T: Ciaron Maher |
729480 | G | 13 | 59kg | |
|
4. Alenquer
J: Ben Allen
T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes |
0x6027 | G | 11 | 59kg | |
|
5. Hezashocka
J: Harry Coffey
T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr |
40x406 | G | 10 | 59kg | |
|
6. Interpretation
J: Teo Nugent
T: Ciaron Maher |
3x0705 | G | 1 | 59kg | |
|
7. Brayden Star
J: John Allen
T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young |
745104 | G | 2 | 59kg | |
|
8. Etna Rosso
J: Michael Dee
T: Chris Waller |
x03022 | G | 8 | 59kg | |
| 9. Strawberry Rock (10) Scratched: | |||||
|
10. Berkshire Breeze
J: Mark Zahra
T: Ciaron Maher |
8x6264 | G | 7 | 59kg | |
|
11. Garachico
J: Billy Egan
T: Dominic Sutton |
1246x7 | G | 6 | 59kg | |
|
12. Star Vega
J: Lachlan Neindorf
T: Anthony & Sam Freedman |
696x42 | G | 12 | 59kg | |
|
13. Alalcance
J: Craig Williams
T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
10x6x3 | M | 4 | 57kg | |
|
14. She's A Hustler
J: Jordan Childs
T: Grahame Begg |
12x112 | M | 3 | 57kg | |
2025 Zipping Classic Nominations
The official Zipping Classic 2025 Nominations close the Monday leading-up to the last of the major spring race days and the full list of early entries will be available below.
| Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2x1110x6x3 | ALALCANCE (GB) | M | 6 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 109 |
| 2 | x0590x6027 | ALENQUER (FR) | G | 8 | Ben, Will & JD Hayes | 100 |
| 3 | 87103×8673 | ALMA RISE (NZ) | M | 5 | Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | 81 |
| 4 | 54248×6264 | BERKSHIRE BREEZE (IRE) | G | 7 | Ciaron Maher | 97 |
| 5 | 344×745104 | BRAYDEN STAR (GB) | G | 7 | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young | 99 |
| 6 | x1x28x0000 | EARL OF TYRONE (IRE) | G | 8 | Ciaron Maher | 89 |
| 7 | 8222×03022 | ETNA ROSSO (IRE) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 100 |
| 8 | 722200×990 | FIRM AGREEMENT | G | 4 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | 90 |
| 9 | 561x1246x7 | GARACHICO (GB) | G | 7 | Dominic Sutton | 92 |
| 10 | x069277x77 | GLENTANEOUS (IRE) | G | 8 | Anthony & Sam Freedman | 89 |
| 11 | 726540×406 | HEZASHOCKA (NZ) | G | 8 | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | 96 |
| 12 | 02763×0705 | INTERPRETATION (IRE) | G | 8 | Ciaron Maher | 96 |
| 13 | 0331×05430 | KOVALICA (NZ) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 108 |
| 14 | 6310×06955 | LIGHT INFANTRY MAN (FR) | G | 7 | Ciaron Maher | 111 |
| 15 | 60x8x86677 | POST IMPRESSIONIST (IRE) | G | 7 | Simon Ryan | 96 |
| 16 | 2x1112x112 | SHE’S A HUSTLER (NZ) | M | 5 | Grahame Begg | 97 |
| 17 | 310×729480 | SMOKIN’ ROMANS (NZ) | G | 9 | Ciaron Maher | 104 |
| 18 | 9x07696x42 | STAR VEGA (IRE) | G | 6 | Anthony & Sam Freedman | 90 |
| 19 | 10260×0069 | STRAWBERRY ROCK (IRE) | G | 9 | Ciaron Maher | 91 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
Zipping Classic Form Guide
The Zipping Classic form guide details all the need-to-know facts and stats including the jockeys, trainers, barriers, weights and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.
Most stayers go out to the paddock after a run in the Group 2, but the Zipping Classic form has stacked up in lower class summer races a number of times including in 2015 when the runner-up Tall Ship won the Listed Werribee Cup (2635m) the following month. The best Zipping Classic form race to follow is the Melbourne Cup, graduates out of the two-mile classic suited to the drop in distance / grade.
The 2023 Zipping Classic form was franked the following spring with the third placed Duke De Sessa taking out the 2024 Caulfield Cup.
The 2024 Zipping Classic winner Arapaho franked the form the following autumn winning the 2025 Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m), while the 2024 third placed Berkely Square won the Ballarat Cup at his next start.
2025 Zipping Classic Form Guide
A link to the comprehensive Zipping Classic 2025 Form Guide will be provided below the week of the race.
Zipping Classic Results
The past Zipping Classic race results of the race have been dominated by single-figure fancies and Melbourne Cup horses stepping back in class and distance for a final spring run in easier company.
Notable recent Zipping Sandown Classic winners include former Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare (2022), the latest back-to-back winner Sound (2020-21), fellow dual champ the Taj Mahal (2017-18), Who Shot Thebarman (2015), American (2011), four-time champ Zipping (2007-10) who the race is now named after, and Sky Heights (2001).
She’s A Hustler (2025) was the last Zipping Classic winning mare.
The Taj Mahal (2017) for the first of his two victories was the last three-year-old Zipping Classic winner.
Past Zipping Classic Winners
Zipping Classic winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Third | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | She’s A Hustler | Light Infantry Man | Etna Rosso | 2:31.19 |
| 2024 | Arapaho | Smokin’ Romans | Berkeley Square | 2:33.01 |
| 2023 | Military Mission | Bankers Choice | Duke De Sessa | 2:31.73 |
| 2022 | Vow And Declare | Luncies | Persan | 2:28.1 |
| 2021 | Sound | Dr Drill | Wentwood | 2:32.6 |
| 2020 | Sound | Brimham Rocks | Future Score | 2:37.0 |
| 2019 | Southern France | Miss Siska | Chapada | 2:32.0 |
| 2018 | The Taj Mahal | Dal Harraild | Our Libretto | 2:31.5 |
| 2017 | The Taj Mahal | Almandin | Big Duke | 2:30.0 |
| 2016 | Beautiful Romance | Almoonqith | Big Orange | 2:29.0 |
| 2015 | Who Shot Thebarman | Tall Ship | Do You Remember | 2:29.1 |
| 2014 | Au Revoir | Epingle | Prince Of Penzance | 2:32.0 |
| 2013 | Sertorius | Epingle | Queenstown | 2:30.9 |
| 2012 | Tanby | Exceptionally | Precedence | 2:32.0 |
| 2011 | Americain | Manighar | Mourayan | 2:37.8 |
| 2010 | Zipping | Exceptionally | Manighar | 2:39.4 |
| 2009 | Zipping | Purple | Master O’reilly | 2:32.2 |
| 2008 | Zipping | Douro Valley | Red Ruler | 2:35.0 |
| 2007 | Zipping | Jukebox Johnny | Baughurst | 2:33.7 |
| 2006 | Gallant Guru | Casual Pass | Show Barry | 2:30.8 |
| 2005 | Roman Arch | Grey Song | Expunge | 2:33.7 |
| 2004 | Count Ricardo | Fantastic Love | Media Puzzle | 2:37.9 |
| 2003 | Legible | Distinctly Secret | Zazzman | 2:29.8 |
| 2002 | Hail | Hill Of Grace | Grey Song | 2:27.9 |
| 2001 | Sky Heights | King Keitel | Cinder Bella | 2:28.3 |
| 2000 | Brave Chief | Forgotten Hero | Pasta Express | 2:24.3 |
FAQ
Who won the 2025 Zipping Classic?
The 2025 Zipping Classic was won by five-year-old Ace High mare She’s A Hustler at $3.10 favouritism for trainer Grahame Begg with jockey Jordan Childs aboard on 57kg from barrier 3 to salute by 0.35 lengths on a Soft (6) track in a time of 2:31.19.
Who won the 2024 Zipping Classic?
The 2024 Zipping Classic was won by the Bjorn Baker trained Arapaho who jumped the $4.40 favourite and was ridden to victory by Rachel King.
When is the Zipping Classic 2025?
Saturday November 29, 2025What is the prize money for the Zipping Classic 2025?
$750,000
Where is the Zipping Classic 2025?
Caulfield Racecourse, Gate 22, Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145.
How do I bet on the 2025 Zipping Classic?
Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at ladbrokes.com.au. The process is quick and easy!
Once you've created your account you can make a deposit via credit card, or any other of our secure payment methods. Next up, head to the racing page and find the race and runner that's right for you.
Which horse will win the 2025 Zipping Classic?
The best way to pick which horse will win the Zipping Classic is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out ladbrokes.com.au in the lead up to the race for full form information.