Fawkner among Zipping Classic 2014 nominations

Fawkner headlines nominations for the Group Two Zipping Classic as prominent owner Lloyd Williams bids to continue an impressive record in the race named after his former star.

Zipping won four consecutive Sandown Classics, earning the honour of having the 2400m weight-for-age feature renamed after him.

Along with Zipping’s victories from 2007-2010, Williams has had Legible (2003) and Tanby (2012) win the race in the past 11 years.

Fawkner is one of three entries for Robert Hickmott, private trainer for Williams’ Macedon Lodge team, in Saturday’s edition of the Zipping Classic at Sandown along with 2012 Melbourne Cup winner Green Moon and import Sea Moon.

Green Moon and Sea Moon are also both nominated for the Sandown Cup (3200m).

Last year’s Caulfield Cup winner Fawkner, a half brother to Tanby, is coming off a 10th in the Melbourne Cup.

Before his midfield finish at Flemington over 3200m, Fawkner had finished second in the Cox Plate and won the Group One Caulfield Stakes.

Nominations for the race have been extended until Tuesday after 13 entries were taken on Monday.

David Hayes has nominated Spillway for both the Zipping Classic and the Eclipse Stakes (1800m) but is favouring the former.

Spillway hit the line well in the Group One Mackinnon Stakes (2000m), running fourth after settling well back from a wide gate.

Hayes is hoping the import can draw well and settle a little closer in an expected smaller field to make his task easier.

Spillway failed as favourite in the Group One Metropolitan in Sydney over 2400m in October but Hayes is keen to test him over the distance again.

“I want to see him at 2400 again and then for the autumn I’ll be clear in my mind what I go for,” Hayes said.

Dwayne Dunn will partner Spillway whose stablemate Rawnaq could also back up after his seventh in a 2000m race at Flemington on Saturday.

The Mick Kent-trained Epingle, runner-up to Sertorius in last year’s Zipping Classic, is nominated along with the Darren Weir-trained Prince Of Penzance and internationals Au Revoir and Lord Van Percy.

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