The Beast Unleashed Gosford Gold Cup (G2)

Cheers Heard Far And Wide As Kyrgios Claims Cup

By Michael Cowley
As ZIPPING Kyrgios surged to the lead and raced away with the 2022 Beast Unleashed Gosford Gold Cup, the loudest cheer wasn’t heard on the Central Coast, nor was it in the Central West where the dog is owned. It came from a hotel out PENRITH way.

“I am over the moon,” said Marty Hallinan who with his wife Fiona own ZIPPING Krygios and most of the other dogs with the ZIPPING prefix.

“I’m actually in a motel in Colyton. ZIPPING Bailey (his Golden Easter Egg winner) is on heat going to Superior Panama, so we were down here and I didn’t feel like driving home (to Clergate in the Central West), and I didn’t feel like driving to Gosford, so we stayed here.

“I just said to my wife, the police should be here in a minute I screamed that loud.

“It’s all very exciting. It’s what we are in it for. You work hard and try and get success and this dog is a good little dog. (Trainers) John and Minnie (Finn) have done a fantastic job with him and full credit must go to them.

“He’s not a champion but if you had a shed full of them like him, you would be doing pretty well.”

The win in the Group 2 event took ZIPPING Kyrgios’s record to 24 wins and 15 placings from 48 starts and prizemoney now at $235,000. The Gosford success was his third Group win in the past eight months, adding to the Group 3 Bob Payne at Wentworth Park in May, and the Group 2 Black Top at LADBROKES GARDENS in October.

ZIPPING Kyrgios has now won as many Group races in the past year as his tennis playing namesake has won titles in the past five years.

Most thought the awkward draw - something ZIPPING Kyrgios has had to contend with in several feature races - would be too much for him to handle, particularly with track record holder and defending Cup champion Wow drawn in box 5.

As expected the inside brigade were best away with Aston Shine holding the rail, but by the first turn Fire Legend had charged to the lead, just ahead of Lots Of Chatter.

The action was behind them. ZIPPING Kyrgios got across three and four wide and was moving forward, while Wow was trying to push up between runners.

Wow was badly checked, losing all winning chance on the turn, but ZIPPING Kyrgios was able to get across into fourth and looked perfectly placed to stalk the leaders.

Swinging for home Victorian Lots of Chatter moved up and took lead, but the powerful finish of ZIPPING Kyrgios was unleashed and he powered away for a two length win in 29.26s. Lots Of Chatter held on for third from Wow who stormed home to grab the minor money.


“He’s a good chaser and that’s half the battle. This dog chases hard,” Hallinan said. 

“He just got across. He was in front of Wow, and I was saying stay balanced, hook wide, don’t go in there there’s no room … I was directing him.

“At the 600m boxes when he stayed balanced, I knew he was going to motor when he turned for home.

“I know they say that track doesn’t suit him - a bit like Dapto - but that last 80m with his motor, he just takes off, and you have to chase these races, and that’s what John and Minnie do … they race their dogs.”

The Cup Consolation was taken out by the Mick Hardman-trained Analysing who led throughout - also from box 8 - in 29.33s, capping a great night for Hardman who also won earlier in the night with NSW Sprint Championship winner, Zulu Warlord.