Nature Strip showed he had taken no harm from his Royal Ascot heroics when winning the $1million Group 1 The Shorts at Randwick on Saturday.
Second in the race twelve months ago, Nature Strip collared old foe Eduardo at the 200m before holding the finish of Overpass (Vancouver) by one and a half lengths with the fast-finishing Lost And Running (Per Incanto) a short-half-head back in third.
The 8yo son of Nicconi advances his record to 22 wins, seven seconds, and a third from 38 starts with earnings of $18,529,785.
“Today he displayed that he’s got ringcraft now, to switch off and do those little things right, and help him be better,” winning trainer Chris Waller said.
“He’s doing it the right way, he’s not breaking his own heart. He used to break other horses’ heart’s, sometimes his own.
“It’s a good first-up run, he’ll take good improvement from it and be there in four-weeks time.
“I didn’t know what to expect, to tell you the truth. We didn’t expect him to be this good. I expected there’d be a bit of down time required and his coat might change, it’s a big thing (to go to the UK).”
“It just worked out well. He was there for basically 28 days and got the job done there. He came back and did his quarantine in a cool, wet, Melbourne climate and then came up here and it’s just a little bit warmer and he looks a picture of health.
McDonald said the powerfully bu;t chestnut is as good as ever.
“Get him ready for a Cox Plate,the way he settled,” he joked.
He was ok into speed - as good as he normally is anyway.
“I thought I won't move a muscle and see what actually unfolds. There’s no real pressure on us to hold a position. I just let him glide through and he did it beautifully.
“First half was great and at the 500m where he normally chimes into his races, he thought time was ‘go’, but as soon as I came back a little bit, oh boy, he came back and then it was just a matter of gliding up the running.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve. I think there is a little more to give but in saying that he was at his top.
“He’s the pick of the yard because he wanders around. He did that at Ascot as well. Everyone was in awe of him the way he strutted around the parade ring and I think that was his best performance in his career and I dare to say that he hasn’t gone backwards.”
Passed in at the 2016 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Golden Grove Stud, Nature Strip is a half-brother to stakes-winner The Barrister. His dam Strikeline (Desert Sun), a $500,000 earner, was a 6-time winner including the Group III Ian McEwen Trophy at Moonee Valley.
Strikeline has not had a foal since 3026. She was covered by Shamus Award last spring.
