Australia: Nature Strip starts season in Black Caviar Lightning Stakes

In the last two years, Nature Strip has been honored as Australia’s Horse of the Year for the 2019-20 season and won the world’s richest sprint in the $11.05 million Everest Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney last October.

Regaining those titles is a goal for the 2022 season, which begins for Nature Strip in Saturday’s Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at five furlongs at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

The Black Caviar Lightning Stakes will be Nature Strip’s first race since an easy win by 3 1/4 lengths in the Group 1 Darley Sprint Classic at Flemington in November. Nature Strip was 1-4 in Australian pools and led throughout the $1.5 million race.

Trained by Chris Waller, the 7-year-old Nature Strip will start in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes for the third straight year, having finished fourth at 1-2 in 2020 during his championship year and winning the race last year in the first start of a season that included five wins in seven starts.

The Black Caviar Lightning Stakes Stakes is worth $720,000 and drew a strong field. Eduardo, third in the Everest Stakes, is the biggest threat to Nature Strip. Trained by Joe Pride, Eduardo is the last horse to beat Nature Strip when they finished first and second in the Group 2 The Shorts Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Royal Randwick last September, separated by a half-length.

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After losing the Everest Stakes, Eduardo won the $750,200 Classique Legend Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on Oct. 30.

As of Thursday, Nature Strip was 8-5 for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, while Eduardo was 3-1. Tactically, there will be little between them during the straightaway race. Nature Strip often leads, while Eduardo is equally as effective setting the pace or racing near the front.

The field of nine includes Masked Crusader, second in the Everest but only sixth in the Classique Legend, and the Waller-trained Home Affairs, who was ninth in the Everest and rebounded to win the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at six furlongs at Flemington on Oct. 30.

James McDonald, the leading rider at tracks in the state of New South Wales, will ride Home Affairs instead of Nature Strip, a mount he had for most of 2021. According to published reports in Australia, McDonald had committed to riding Home Affairs for the Coolmore syndicate, who co-owns the Australian-bred 3-year-old colt.

Jamie Kah will ride Nature Strip, the first time she will be aboard the popular gelding since a win in the 2021 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes when Australian jockeys faced interstate travel restrictions because of the pandemic. Kah was the leading rider at Melbourne area tracks in the 2020-21 season.

Flemington has a nine-race program beginning at 8:40 p.m. Eastern, or 5:40 p.m. Pacific, on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.