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The final Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival meeting lights up Caulfield on Saturday with the action headlined by the always popular Zipping Classic.

A typically top-class is assembled for this year’s Group 2 $750,000 Zipping Classic (2400m) with markets at Ladbrokes.com.au currently led by the Grahame Begg trained She’s A Hustler.

The early mover backed in from $4 to $3.20, the ultra-consistent Ace High mare is yet to run outside the top two in her 10 career starts to date and looks right up to the task this weekend.

While yet to win over further than 2100m, the bonny five-year-old has been racing in outstanding fashion this prep including a last start second in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on a Heavy (8) rated track.

She is drawn to get the favours from barrier three with Jordan Childs sticking with, but history is against her with just two mares having won the Zipping Classic since 2000.

The danger occupying the second line of Zipping Classic betting and one-time favourite, Light Infantry Man has eased out to $4.50 to hand Ciaron Maher his second success and first as a solo trainer.

Winner of the autumn’s Group 1 Australian Cup at HQ, the talented Fast Company seven-year-old is out to shrug off his Caulfield hoodoo being unplaced in three previous runs at the track.

He remains winless since his two-length romp home in the Group 1 back in March but is being kept safe in the markets down in grade off a solid fifth behind the mighty Via Sistina in the Champions Stakes on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott won the Zipping Classic two years back with Military Mission (2023) and return in 2025 with a livewire chance in Alalcance ($5).

The six-year-old grey daughter of Mastercraftsman is one of the proven stayers in the mix boasting a standout 2400m record (5:2-3-0) and winning form up to 2600m.

With the distance a query for a few of her key rivals, the fact Alalcance is up to her pet trip now off a third in the Matriarch bodes well.

She was on fire in the autumn going back-to-back by big margins in the Group 3 NE Manion Cup (2400m) and Group 2 Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) in Sydney before a failed Sydney Cup bid over the two miles.

Following her eye-catching return, she presents fitter second-up on Saturday drawn a dream in barrier four for big race specialist Craig Williams.

A further two runners in the Zipping Classic field are currently under double-figures for the win with the Chris Waller trained Ocean Park six-year-old Kovalica ($8.50) after his first win since Brisbane’s Group 2 The Q22 in the winter and his class stablemate Etna Rosso ($9.50) coming off a Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) second in the wet at Flemington.

Waller’s sole Zipping Classic success was a decade ago with Who Shot Thebarman (2015).

The 2025 Zipping Classic is set to run as Caulfield Race 8 at 4:25pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s 10-race card in Melbourne.

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