By Bren O'Brien
Four-time Group 1 winning sprinter Nature Strip (Nicconi) has been assured another shot at Australia's richest race, The Everest, after the TAB locked him in with its slot.
The rising 6-year-old is the first runner confirmed for the race, having finished fourth in the 2019 edition when he ran under James Harron's slot.
Since that point he has established himself as Australia's leading sprinter winning both the G1 VRC Sprint Classic and the G1 TJ Smith S. with ease thanks to scorching front-running performances.
TAB, who had Santa Ana Lane (Lope De Vega {Ire}) finish second in its slot last year, did not hesitate in locking Nature Strip away as its pick.
“Each year the race continues to grow in popularity and we are proud to have been involved from the beginning," Tabcorp Managing Director Wagering and Media, Adam Rytenskild said
“We went so close with our slot when Santa Ana Lane ran a great second last year and we are confident Nature Strip is the horse to beat this year. We look forward to involving our customers along the journey to race day.”
"We are confident Nature Strip is the horse to beat this year. We look forward to involving our customers along the journey to race day.” - Adam Rytenskild
Trainer Chris Waller won the race last year with 3-year-old Yes Yes Yes (Rubick), who has been subsequently retired to stand at Coolmore Stud, and is looking forward to Nature Strip leading the charge for him in 2020,
“It’s really exciting to partner with TAB who have been supporters of The Everest for a long time,” Waller said.
“I’m confident the learnings from Nature Strip competing in The Everest last year will go a long way in 2020.
“With this partnership in place, we can now build a plan for the remainder of the year to give us the best possible chance of success.”
Nature Strip | Image by Dan Himbrechts courtesy of AAP Photos
Nature Strip has blossomed since arriving at Waller's stables at the start of 2019. He has won six of 11 starts under the Rosehill trainer including four at Group 1 level.
His first Group 1 success came in The Galaxy in March 2019 and he followed that up with victory in the Moir S. at Moonee Valley last September. He led up The Everest field before being swamped late but then thrashed his rivals by 3.25l in the VRC Sprint Classic.
His autumn campaign included a dominant 3l win in the G2 Challenge S. at Randwick and then another all-the-way cruise by 2l in the G1 TJ Smith S. defeating defending champion Santa Ana Lane and dual The Everest winner Redzel (Snitzel).
Managing Owner Rod Lyons told Sky Racing that he would not be surprised if there is further improvement in Nature Strip.
“The horse has matured, getting bigger and stronger and all those together with Chris’s wonderful patience and expertise have really turned the horse into what we are seeing at the moment,” Lyons said.
The Everest is scheduled to be run on October 17 at Randwick.
