Team Williams won another feature race at the Melbourne spring carnival when Tanby came from the back of the field to win the G2 Zipping Classic (2400m) at Sandown on Saturday.

Tanby (6g Galileo – Dane Belltar by Danewin) defeated Exceptionally by three-quarters of a length with Precedence back in third.  “We were keen to get him into the Melbourne Cup this year,” Nick Williams said.  “We thought he would have been a bit of a chance.  He’s an out-and-out stayer and we will look at the Sydney Cup in the autumn.”

It was a fitting win as this year’s edition of the weight-for-age Sandown Classic had been renamed in honour of Zipping who won the race four times between 2007 and 2010.  He was an Easter graduate raced by Team Williams – just like Tanby.

Bred by Steve Bennetts, Tanby has won 9 races in 24 starts for career earnings of $664,855.  A progressive Australian bred son of Galileo, he is an older half-brother to Fawkner (Reset) who was narrowly beaten in the G1 VRC Emirates Stakes last Saturday.

Mill Park sold Tanby as agent for Bennetts for $200,000 at the 2008 Inglis Easter yearling sale.  His G3 winning dam Dane Belltar produced a Starcraft filly this season and was bred back to New Approach at Darley Victoria.