One of Australia's most consistent racehorses - the Lloyd Williams owned Zipping - has finally got the Group One win he has long deserved after a thrilling victory in Saturday's $1 million weight-for-age Australian Cup (2000 metres) at Flemington.
The eight-year-old gelding - which has now 14 of his 41 starts and over $3 million in prizemoney - narrowly edged out Bart Cummings' 2008 Australian Cup winner Sirmione in a bobbing finish with another Cummings' runner in the unfancied Moatize claiming third place.
Cummings, who earlier had taken out the other Group One race held over from last week's freak hail storm - the Australian Guineas with Rock Classic - had been aiming for an astonishing 14th Australian Cup success.
But instead it was Zipping that finally broke through at the highest level for the first time after fighting back in the final 100 metres on the inside of Sirmione after the Cummings' runner had headed Lloyd Williams' gallant eight-year-old in the straight.
Zipping has won the past three Sandown Classics at Group Two level at weight-for-age but before Saturday he had run a succession of great races without winning at the highest level.
Not only has Zipping previously run fourth in two Melbourne Cups in 2006 and 2007 but he also been placed in the past two Cox Plates, running third last year behind three-year-old So You Think as well as second the year before to Maldivian while he also finished third in the 2007 MacKinnon Stakes and the 2008 Turnbull Stakes at Group One level over the 2000 metres at Flemington.
Nick Williams, representing his father Lloyd after the race, was overjoyed to see one of his stable's favourite horses finally triumph at the highest level.
"He is a tough horse isn’t he, I was sure Sirmione had him," Williams told TVN after the race.
"He just wouldn't get beaten and it's terrific for all our team up there at Macedon."
Williams said the fact that Zipping had to beat two Cummings runners to win his first Group One made it that more special.
"It's very difficult to beat Bart at the best of times and it shows you just how great he (Zipping) is," Williams said.
"The best we could do with our horse, which is in career best form, was beat him (Cummings) by an inch so well done to Bart but more importantly well done to our team."
Zipping's win also provided Nick Hall - who is the son of former champion jockey Greg Hall and the godson of Lloyd Williams - with his fourth Group One win and his second for the Williams stable after riding Efficient to victory in last year's Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.
Nick Williams said Zipping was now likely to contest Sydney's premier weight-for-age race - the Group One BMW over 2400 metres to be run at Rosehill on Golden Slipper Day on April 3.