Lloyd loads up for Zipping

LLOYD Williams intends to gang-tackle the Zipping Classic at Sandown Hillside on Saturday, the race named for his former star.

There were only nine nominations and Williams owns three — Almandin, The Taj Mahal and Assign.

“The Zipping Classic is a race I’m partial to for obvious reasons, being named after one of my favourite horses, who won this race four times,” he said.

Zipping won the race from 2007 to 2010, prompting the Melbourne Race Club to rename it from the Sandown Classic to the Zipping Classic.

Leading Williams’s attack is last year’s Melbourne Cup hero, Almandin, who finished 12th this year after starting equal favourite where he was ridden by Frankie Dettori.

He said Almandin had recovered from his Melbourne Cup run after there were some initial concerns.

“He wasn’t perfect after the race. We thought it was in his knees but it was in his sacro [sacroiliac joint]. He’s had a bit of treatment and he’s full of beans and we are thinking he will bounce back,” he said.