The Bart and James Cummings trained Precedence is hanging on to favouritism only narrowly even though he holds a distinct weight advantage over Sertorius in the Group 2 $350,000 Deadly Design Zipping Classic (2400m) at Caulfield today.
Precedence, yellow sleeves, gets the judge's decision over Sertorius, green, in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Race Horse Photos Australia.
Precedence is marked at $3.50 while Sertorius has plenty of admirers and is challenging for the top spot at $3.70.
The Zipping Classic shapes up as a rematch between the two stayers after Precedence got the judge’s decision over Sertorius in a head bobbing finish in the Group 3 $300,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington last Saturday.
Craig Williams and Precedence then had to survive a protest after jockey Ryan Maloney claimed Sertorius was hampered at the fifty metre mark.
Under today’s weight for age scale Precedence goes up 1kg on the weight he carried to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes while Sertorius goes up 3.5kgs, giving Precedence a 2.5kg weight advantage on their previous meeting.
Even though Precedence hasn’t won at weight for age, James Cummings said that the eight year old is racing in top form and gets his chance today.
“I think this is the best we have had him for a long while, he’s in really good form at the moment and we’re going to make hay while the sun shines,’ Cummings told the Herald Sun.
If Precedence can win the Zipping Classic today it will be the second time in his fifty-six start career that he has recorded a hat trick of wins after winning three in a row during the Autumn in 2010.
The Zabeel gelding won over 1600m at Moonee Valley and 2000m at Flemington before taking out the Listed $100,000 N E Manion Quality Cup at Rosehill over 2400m.
Precedence’s latest form shows he won two runs back in the Group 2 $250,000 Drake International Cup (2500m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day and Cummings has no worries about backing him up after winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes last Saturday.
“He was only 2kg down after the race last week so he is thriving,” Cummings said.
“We went over him with a fine-tooth comb and he has bounced back really well.”
While Williams on Precedence and Maloney on Sertorius will be watching out for each other, Nash Rawiller on the Gai Waterhouse trained Queenstown won’t regard it as a two horse war.
Queenstown has been marked a $5 chance on the strength of her good recent form which has her winning over 2040m against the fillies and mares at Moonee Valley on October 25 then ran a nose second to Girl Gone Rockin’ in the Group 2 $300,000 Momentum Energy Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last Saturday.
