Search

show me:

Waller expects star to show true nature in Concorde

3 minute read

Star sprinter Nature Strip is showing Chris Waller that he’s living his best life at present and the champion trainer is confident that will show on the track this spring.

NATURE STRIP.
NATURE STRIP. Picture: Martin King / Sportpix

The seven-year-old starts his TAB Everest campaign in the Group 3 $160,000 TAB Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday and it's widely expected he will start it style.

Chris Waller said Nature Strip is very well, and there's been no signs of the allergies that troubled him last spring, and from a racing manners perspective pointed to his runaway win in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes earlier this year as the new standard.

"He's going as well as ever and as well as he was last preparation,'' Waller said.

"I think what we saw in the autumn was he became a more tractable horse and that's the key to him winning more races.

"All he has to do is replicate that and he's going to be very hard to beat wherever he heads."

A Concorde win will likely see Nature Strip re-assume top spot on his own in the TAB Everest market after being joined on the $5 line by Masked Crusader last weekend.

But the race has been a bit of a hoodoo for Nature Strip, $1.50 with TAB on Thursday, over the years.

He has met defeat in the past two editions of the Concorde Stakes, finishing fourth to Redzel in 2019 and runner-up to Gytrash a year ago, and he was nosed out by Eduardo in the Challenge Stakes over the same course prior to the TJ in the autumn.

Waller said the evidence of the gelding's impressive trial win at Rosehill, under the guidance of jockey Glyn Schofield, and post-trial report was heartening and while the Everest is still six weeks away he's exactly where he wants the horse to be.

"Glyn has a great set of hands and his experience is equal to anybody in the jockey's room in terms of lining up good horses and how they feel,'' he said.

"It was pleasing to hear him give a glowing report after the trial.

"Obviously he's only first-up so don't expect him to be breaking track records or anything this Saturday.

"He will continue to improve and get better with each run which is what we see each preparation with him."

A decision on Nature Strip's next step towards the TAB Everest - he holds the Chris Waller Racing slot - will be made on debrief from his run in the Concorde but he's likely to follow the same path as last year and head to the Group 2 $500,000 Premiere Stakes (1200m) on October 2.

Talented three-year-old She's All Class is ready for a belated start to her spring in the Group 2 $200,000 Darley Furious Stakes (1200m) after an elevated temperature kept her out of the Silver Shadow two weeks ago.

The filly hasn't raced since an eye-catching second behind Four Moves Ahead in the Sweet Embrace back in February and Waller is keen to see what she can do having finally drawn a favourable alley.

Aside from the small setback, he said She's All Class is a stronger filly now but, like Nature Strip, will race will improvement to come.

"It looks like she's come back well but we haven't put her under too much pressure just yet,'' Waller said.

"It's good to see her get a nice soft barrier so she can get an economical run and see her finish strongly over the concluding stages."

James McDonald also rides She's All Class, $4.80 with TAB on Thursday, and he said this about her prior to her intended return in the Silver Shadow: "She's highly strung but if you strike her on the right day she's as good as any filly in the land."

When asked if there's a horse he's looking forward to seeing on the Randwick program, Waller selected Charms Star which is one of six acceptors for the stable in the Sharp Extensive IT Handicap (1500m).

The former Kiwi mare was runner-up to Duais in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks. She finished ahead of stablemate Signora Nera who was an easy first-up winner at Kembla last weekend and Waller is hoping she can take similar steps.

"She has the right formlines based on Signora Nera's run last week,'' he said.

"She's coming out of the Queensland Oaks and is a relatively lightly raced horse. It'd be nice to see her improve as a four-year-old mare so she'd be one I'm excited about."


Racing and Sports

Think. Is this a bet you really want to place?

For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit www.gamblinghelponline.org.au