The step-by-step rise of Nature Strip

Australians stayed up in the early hours of Wednesday morning and collectively cheered as Nature Strip went on to become our first Royal Ascot winner in 10 years.

There is nothing Aussies love more than proving our skill on the world stage and while the American buckled, the Australian excelled.

Royal Ascot is racing’s equivalent of the Olympics, with our nation’s pride on the line.

For a horse who has divided many throughout his rollercoaster career, it was somewhat of an unusual feeling when it came to Nature Strip.

We take a look back at the ride it’s been.

THE SALE

Offered for sale by Hunter Valley-based breeders Golden Grove at the 2016 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale, the chestnut colt by Nicconi was the sixth foal from the mare Strikeline, with vendors setting a $120,000 reserve.

Strikeline was a Group 3 winner herself, having won the 2005 McEwen Stakes that Nature Strip would go on to win 13 years later, and three of her progeny never ran a place, while one was a winner at Mt Isa.

The Jason Warren-trained The Barrister, however, was the first to show promise from the mare, winning the Listed Fernhill Stakes in 2015 before being sold to Hong Kong, where he won three further races.

Despite that victory of Nature Strip’s half-brother coming 10 months earlier, he still failed to meet the reserve, falling $30,000 shy, but Flemington-based trainer Troy Corstens had his eye on the chestnut.

“I actually bought Nature Strip,” Corstens told Horse Racing Tell Me How in 2020.

“He passed in the sale ring and I’d seen him and I thought ‘Gee I haven’t had that horse vetted’.

“So I rushed down … I said ‘I’ll take that horse, I just need to get his x-rays done’.

“And I rang my vet and got his x-rays done and he said ‘Don’t touch him’.

“So the sale fell through.”

Instead, Robert Smerdon walked away with the colt but had only managed to sell 15 per cent in the months that followed. A chance meeting with owner Rod Lyons months later, after Nature Strip had been broken in, would result in the son of Nicconi sporting Lyons’ silks.

“Robert said to me, ‘Look, this horse has been broken in, he goes terrific, it’s a good horse for you and your mates, I guarantee you’ll get your money back and he’s a horse we could sell on to Hong Kong’,” Lyons told Racing.com.

While Hong Kong never eventuated, Lyons lured in his mates, including champion New Zealand Rugby coach and former player Steve Hansen, for one hell of a ride.

THE DEBUT

Nature Strip made his debut at Mornington on October 10, 2017 and despite being sent out an odds-on favourite, it was more about his rider than the horse.

Michael Poy, who was 18 at the time and is the son of Melbourne Cup-winning hoop Michael Clarke, was having his first race ride and would have been feeling the pressure as the horse was backed from $1.95 into $1.80.

After drawing barrier seven, the three-year-old was the last to leave the gates and was later caught four-deep on the speed, but scored by a neck to the cheers of the punters.

“I jumped him [Nature Strip] out on the Polytrack about two weeks ago, and he went real good,” Poy said post-race at the time.

“And I galloped him a week ago, and he went good there too, so I was happy to be riding him today.

“He was just probably too good for them today.”

Nature Strip was now off and running.

THE DOUBTERS

Nature Strip would be defeated at his following start 17 days later on Manikato Stakes night, the same evening Hey Doc claimed The Valley’s signature sprint.

Slow to jump again this time under Ryan Maloney, he charged late to miss Sam’s Image but would run up to expectations at $4.40.

It would be his return to The Valley three weeks later, which saw him win by 5.5 lengths, that marked his arrival and cause his aura and expectation would grow.

While Nature Strip would win more often than he would lose – he divided opinions.

He finished eighth in the Moir Stakes and 10th in the Oakleigh Plate as short-priced favorite in his first two attempts at G1 level, causing doubts over his ability to absorb pressure at the top line.

During 2018-19 these were the times Nature Strip was beaten as favourite:

• VOBIS Gold Dash 2018 – $1.65 (second);

• Euclase Stakes 2018 – $2.40 (fourth);

• Moir Stakes 2018 – $1.80 (eighth);

• Oakleigh Plate 2019 – $2.30 (10th);

• Doomben 10,000 2019 – $2.30 (fourth); and

• Concorde Stakes 2019 – $2.30 (fourth).

The only other time he was beaten in that period was the 2019 Everest behind Yes Yes Yes, when he finished fourth as a $21 chance.

The knockers would later again raise their heads after a winless four-start preparation in the spring of 2020.

THE TRAINERS

Just as Smerdon appeared to find the knack to Nature Strip winning his third and fourth career starts by a combined 11 lengths and days after his 5.5-length romp at Sandown, Smerdon would stand down from training pending race-day treatment charges.

In the days that followed, it was announced that the owners had knocked back significant offers and John Sadler had been appointed trainer, also under the Aquanita banner. But Sadler was sidelined for misconduct charges involving then Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey.

It would mean Robert Hickmott would be entrusted with the three-year-old at his fifth start, where he won his first race down the Flemington straight in the Inglis Dash.

“He has captured the imagination of a lot of people, especially the press,” Hickmott said at the time.

“He could be the right one though.”

As arranged, Sadler would return to take over the training for his autumn preparation, but things wouldn’t go to script when Sam’s Image again got the better of him in the VOBIS Gold Dash and he was overhauled in his first Stakes attempt in the Euclase Stakes.

Following two beaten runs for Sadler, connections moved the horse to leading trainer Darren Weir.

“I’ve tried to move on … actually, I’ve just taken a week off because of that. It just affected me worse than what I thought it would,” Sadler told Racing.com at the time.

“I really, genuinely believe he is a top galloper.”

Nature Strip would get off to a fairytale start for Weir, winning his first four races. He would register his first two Stakes wins in the Creswick Stakes and Lightning Stakes at Morphetville before falling in to win his first Group success in the McEwen Stakes, holding off the challenge of Houtzen by the barest of margins in track-record time.

Punters believed Weir had found the key to the speedster and sent him out $1.80 favourite 20 days later under lights in the Moir Stakes, where he buckled under pressure to finish a well-beaten eighth behind Viddora.

In the week Nature Strip was planned to have his first-up run for his autumn preparation in 2019, Weir’s stables were raided, throwing plans into disarray.

The Rubiton Stakes would mark his first start under Chris Waller, where he won by 3.5 lengths but like his counterparts, Waller would quickly learn Nature Strip’s quirks.

His following run he would finish 11th in the Oakleigh Plate won by Booker, forcing Waller to go back to the drawing board.

One month later, Nature Strip would win his maiden G1 in the Galaxy at start 14 after holding off the challenge of Pierata.

Waller’s rollercoaster ride was only just beginning.

“We just have to get into his head on race day,” Waller said after his first G1 win.

“The winning post isn’t at the 300-metre mark.”

Trainer records:

• Robert Smerdon – four starts, three wins;

• Robert Hickmott – 1 start, 1 win;

• John Sadler – two starts, 0 wins;

• Darren Weir – five starts, four wins; and

• Chris Waller – 26 starts, 13 wins.

THE JOCKEY

It seems fitting given all they have gone on to achieve that the first time James McDonald rode Nature Strip would result in the horse’s first G1 success.

McDonald was the sixth hoop to partner Nature Strip in his career, and joined Poy, Maloney, Mark Zahra and Damian Lane at the time as having been successful when aboard.

“Ever since I first sat on him, he just felt brilliant,” McDonald said after winning The Galaxy.

There have been just four occasions since when McDonald has not taken the ride, with Tim Clarke, Hugh Bowman and Jamie Kah called in as replacements.

While Nature Strip might not always have been McDonald’s best friend at times, the duo has banked close to $16m as a partnership, of which the Kiwi hoop banks a handy five per cent.

Nature Strip has saluted on more than half the occasions McDonald has been in the saddle:

• James McDonald – 20 rides, 11 wins;

• Damian Lane – six rides, four wins;

• Ryan Maloney – four rides, three wins;

• Jamie Kah – two rides, one win;

• Mark Zahra – one ride, one win; and

• Michael Poy – one ride, one win

Craig Williams, Bowman and Clark are the three jockeys to have ridden Nature Strip who did not register a win.

THE MAKING OF

2021 was a year of little certainty but by the end of the spring it would seem Australia’s leading trainer had found the key to having Nature Strip peak on the big days.

At his third tilt at the $15 million Everest, Waller had perfected the horse’s training and they would pick up the VRC Sprint Classic as well for little more than a track gallop for good measure.

It was rinse and repeat in the autumn, with a gallant defeat to stablemate Home Affairs first-up followed by a third T.J. Smith Stakes.

Following his T.J. precision, it left just one more box to tick.

After two COVID-hindered years, it was now or never to conquer Royal Ascot with the world’s best sprinter.

While he might have been seven years of age, it was only then Waller believed he had the furnished product.

THE CROWNING MOMENT

With the beauty of hindsight, when Nature Strip walked into the mounting yard on Tuesday at Royal Ascot, it was if victory was inevitable.

The chestnut looked ready for battle and the perfect gentleman as Waller had meticulously nurtured and sometimes fought with him to become.

All the while American and well-backed favourite Golden Pal appeared restless and was led out onto the track early by his companion before bombing the start.

Nature Strip didn’t move a hair, nor did McDonald.

To be fair, much the same could be said for the 1000 metres of the King’s Stand Stakes despite reeling off scintillating sectionals and appearing to do so with ease.

No American horse or riderless horse for that matter was going to rain on this parade.

It had been 10 years since Aussies had tasted success at Royal Ascot.

While he wasn’t Black Caviar, the consensus from the punters on the street was that he might have been our best chance since or before the mighty mare.

And boy where they right.

THE FUTURE?

“He still has jobs to do back in Australia.”

That was Waller’s immediate comment in the aftermath of Tuesday’s race.

Despite being a rising eight-year-old, the focus is undoubtedly on a second Everest title, having secured his slot prior to traveling to the UK.

One thing is for sure, Nature Strip will be remembered as one of our greatest sprinters of all time and what a journey it’s been.