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Sangster Would Be Proud Of Zipping

16th Nov 2010

Racing And Sports - Tuesday, 16 November 2010

History-making Danehill nine-year-old Zipping is one of the few remaining performers produced under the banner of Robert Sangster's Swettenham Stud.

The English pools magnate became the father of the internationalism of modern breeding and racing with fearless buying at American yearling sales that began in the 1960s and spread to both hemispheres.

Deceased at the age of 67 in 2004, Robert Sangster cut a swathe through European racing, his horses winning two English Derbys, four Irish Derbys, two French Derbys, three Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes and hundreds of the other major events.

His biggest contribution in Europe was to breed and race Sadler's Wells, perhaps the biggest breed shaper in modern thoroughbred history and influence that remains powerful in Australia through his sire sons like High Chaparral, who produced So You Think in his first Australasian crop.

Fairy King, a brother to Sadler's Wells, also sired from brief shuttle use in Australia the two-times champion Australian sire Encosta de Lago.

Sangster fell in love with Australian racing when he won the1980 Melbourne Cup with Beldale Ball, the imported stayer he raced under the banner of his international operation Swettenham.

Beldale Ball was trained by Colin Hayes at Lindsay Park and this relationship grew into a very fruitful relationship, including their partnership in the Collingrove Studs at Nagambie in Victoria and Sandy Hollow in the Hunter Valley.

The stud at Nagambie is now in the ownership of his son Adam Sangster.

Besides Zipping, horses bred by Swettenham Stud under Robert Sangster included the great sire Zabeel, Blevic and Blackfriars, the Victoria Derby winner in use in Western Australia who had had a treble at Ascot last Saturday.

Like Zipping, Blackfriars is by Danehill, the dual hemisphere king who along with Sadler's Wells ruled at Coolmore Stud in Ireland.

Sangster was one of the founders of what is now the global Coolmore breeding and racing operation.

Sold as a yearling by Swettenham for $190,000 at the Inglis Easter Sale in 2003, Zipping has brought much joy to owner Lloyd Williams and family in eight years of racing, appearing 46 times for 16 wins and $4.5 million prizemoney.

He has won the Sandown Classic four times in succession, is an Australian Cup winner, has contested the Melbourne Cup four times for three fourths and a ninth and has been placed in three successive Cox Plates.

Zipping is the first foal and only stakes performer from Social Scene, an Ireland bred modest middle distance performer in England by former shuttle sire Grand Lodge.

She is a half-sister to four stakes winners, including two Ireland sired sons of Danehill and the Montjeu product Scorpion, winner of the G1 Grand Prix de Paris, G1 English St Leger and G1 Epsom Coronation Cup.

Social Scene was sold in foal to Desert Prince for $35,000 at the 2004 Inglis mare sales and is now owned by Fairway Thoroughbreds of NSW.

She has since had fillies in 2008 by Fastnet Rock, 2009 by Encosta de Lago and 2010 by Duke Of Marmalade.