The world's top-rated sprinter and 2022 Royal Ascot winner Nature Strip is the headline act in Saturday's (Feb. 18) Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m), which tops the nine-race card to be simulcast from Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne.
Nature Strip, who's won 22 races including nine at Group 1 level, prepared for his first assignment of 2023 with an unofficial trial win – beating Roch 'N' Horse and stablemate September Run – down the Flemington straight track on Feb. 10.
“That's exactly what we wanted to see,” trainer Chris Waller said after the workout.
Waller said he was not looking any further than the Lightning, although in the back of his mind he would like to see Nature Strip line up in a fourth Group 1 T J Smith (1200m) at Randwick, having won the past three editions.
He added he would like to again travel with Nature Strip to the northern hemisphere and Royal Ascot where Nature Strip was successful last year in the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes.
“It's all about the autumn, all about his first-up run at this stage. We're not thinking about travel outside of Australia until we get the autumn out of the way,” Waller said.
His rivals will include the two horses who finished behind him in the Flemington gallop. Mike Moroney-trained Roch 'N' Horse won two Group 1 races down the Flemington straight course in 2022, including the G1 Darley Champions Sprint (1200m) where she had the better of Nature Strip by a head; and September Run, who was second to Nature Strip in the 2021 Black Caviar Lightning.
“She's come back in super order and they'll definitely know she's there on Saturday,” said jockey Jamie Mott who rides Roch 'N' Horse.
Leading jockey Craig Williams picks up the ride on Matthew Smith-trained Buenos Noches, who will be well fancied given the excellent record of 3-year-olds this season.
Buenos Noches was beaten a nose by Giga Kick in the G2 Danehill Stakes (1100m) last October, two weeks before the Williams-ridden three-year-old Giga Kick beat all comers including Nature Strip in the world's richest turf race, The Everest (1200m).
“We know this horse (Buenos Noches) is very effective down the straight, Matthew is happy with the way that he's trained on and he's got within a nose of Giga Kick for goodness sake,” Williams said.
Queenslander Baller, who's won and been placed in his only three runs down the Flemington straight, won a barrier trial on Tuesday (14 February) before heading to Melbourne.
“He's got the right straight form to say he'll run very well but whether he can beat Nature Strip I don't know because on his day he (Nature Strip) is the world's best sprinter,” said trainer Tony Gollan.
The post World’s Best Sprinter Nature Strip Headlines Saturday’s Lightning; Return Trip To Royal Ascot A Possibility appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
