He might have been only the third fastest qualifier but Zipping Orlando produced another group one standard performance to notch his seventh win in as many appearances in Saturday night's third Heat of the GRNSW Young Star series at Wentworth Park.
The John Finn-trained sensation made light of what appeared to be a "horror" box seven draw to easily overhaul Jack Smith's tiny tearaway Red Hot Frankie in winning by just over three lengths in 29.54 for the 520m.
Those figures were a mere .01sec outside Zipping Orlando's personal best Wentworth Park time of 29.53, posted from box one on August 24.
"He came out a lot better tonight but I haven't had a chance to watch the replay yet so I'm not sure how he found his way into second spot on the back straight,'' Finn's wife Minnie said later.
But Zipping Orlando, who was midfield out of the boxes, threaded his way cleverly between runners going through the catching pen to be sitting immediately behind Red Hot Frankie at the halfway mark.
Zipping Orlando surged past the pacemaker to hit the front at the top of the straight and then drew away for a comfortable win.
The Finns, who have three of the eight finalists in Saturday night's TAB Million Dollar Chase, secured a second Young Star finalist when Zipping Orlando's litter sister Zipping Sabrina took her Wentworth Park tally to four wins from five starts with an all the way Heat win in 29.84.
Zipping Sabrina raced wide so relished her box seven draw, prompting Minnie Finn to comment: "She has drawn box two in the Young Star final while Zipping Orlando has drawn five, so they would have been far better suited boxed the other way around.''
At just 20 months old, Zipping Orlando and Zipping Sabrina are easily the youngest of the finalists next Saturday night.
The Young Star final draw favoured the Andy Lord-trained pair Bandit Jane and Winlock All Over, who drew boxes one and eight respectively.
Bandit Jane led all the way to win Heat six by nearly four lengths in her personal best Wentworth Park time of 29.46, setting the time standard for the qualifying races.
Winlock All Over, having her first test beyond 450m, jumped smartly from box three but ran out and collided before taking control and racing away to win Heat five by three lengths in 30.02.
Bandit Jane was resuming after a let-up but she shaved .47sec off her previous best Wenty time, vindicating trainer Andy Lord's pre-race declaration that the bitch had been "trialling particularly well.''
After Winlock All Over drew box eight for Saturday night's final, Lord's strapper Paul Mills said: "That box will suit her perfectly and she has a bit of improvement in her.''
Heat one was taken out by Kerry Drynan's Reflections, who led throughout in 29.98, while Showman Jack notched his fifth Wentworth Park in 11 appearances for John Smart, leading all the way in his personal best figures of 29.51.
