Group 1 placed So Si Bon is set to back up for the third week in a row after being added to the nominations for the Group 2 $300,000 Zipping Classic (2400m) on the Ladbrokes Park Hillside track at Sandown on Saturday.
So Si Bon, above in black, red and white colours, running third to Santa Ana Lane in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Melbourne Racing Club called for extra nominations for the weight for age Zipping Classic after only nine horses were among the original entries but the list has been boosted by two with the late inclusion of the Robbie Laing trained So Si Bon and Super Mario from the Cindy Alderson stable.
So Si Bon is only the winner of one race from nineteen starts but has been placed at Group 1 level on two occasions.
During his three year old season So Si Bon ran third to Gingernuts in the Group 1 $600,000 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill during the 2017 Sydney Autumn Carnival and then carried that form into the Spring for a third to Santa Ana Lane in the Group 1 $500,000 Keno Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on October 1.
So Si Bon has been well beaten at his last two starts at Group 1 level when eleventh to Shillelagh in the Group 1 $1m Kennedy Mile (1600m) at Flemington on November 4 and then was tenth to Tosen Stardom last Saturday in the Group 1 $2m Emirates Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.
Laing was all set to send So Si Bon to the paddock but will now give him one more chance to record a Spring Carnival win after pulling up in great order after the Emirates Stakes.
“He just had a swim on Sunday morning and again Monday morning and afternoon and then I had a look at the field and I thought he had the form and he was in the right shape to really give that race a real shake,” Laing told racing.com.
“There’s no doubt he’s a better horse when he’s got some room to move and he’ll get that at Sandown for sure.”
“I thought his Emirates run in a really good field was excellent to be beat three lengths and the previous Saturday, he just couldn’t make ground and neither could horses like Tosen Stardom.”
So Si Bon has been marked at $8 for the Zipping Classic with Ladbrokes.com.au who have the 2016 Melbourne Cup winner Almandin as the $3 favourite ahead of The Taj Mahal at $3.60 and Big Duke at $4.
Early betting for the Zipping Classic at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3 Almandin, $3.60 The Taj Mahal, $4 Big Duke, $8 So Si Bon, $10 Assign, $11 Berisha, Nozomi, $13 Consommateur, Dodging Bullets, $41 Dandy Gent, $101 Super Mario.