Nature Strip completes Waller’s Group One treble

[Chief Stipe]

Expat New Zealand trainer Chris Waller bagged a Group One treble on his adopted home turf of Rosehill this afternoon.

After winning the Rosehill Guineas with The Autumn Sun and the George Ryder Stakes with the champion Winx, Waller worked the oracle with his enigmatic new recruit Nature Strip in the A$700,000 Galaxy.

Part-owned by All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, the Nicconi gelding has long been regarded as one of Australia’s fastest horses. He had been an explosive winner of nine of his 14 starts, but had failed badly as favourite in the Gr. 1 Moir Stakes and Oakleigh Plate.

Having joined Waller’s stable earlier this year following the disqualification of Darren Weir, Nature Strip finally got his Group One in today’s 1100-metre Galaxy.

Showing his customary explosive speed, Nature Strip charged forward from his wide gate. Ridden by Waller’s compatriot James McDonald, the four-year-old had a commanding lead early in the run home.

Again he began to get the wobbles late in the piece, and Pierata came from nowhere to dive at him in the last 50 metres. In a thrilling photo finish, Nature Strip held on by a nose.

“It’s pretty good to have a Group One treble, isn’t it, especially when one of them is Winx,” Waller said. “But full credit to all of them, it’s a great raceday. It’s one for the real special race days in the world, it’s a day for everyone to remember.

“Everyone’s had a go at training this horse. I probably get the accolade for winning the Group One with him, but there’s been a lot of hard work go into him through the years, so well done to all those trainers as well.

“Great work by James McDonald, he’s put a lot of time into the horse at home, on the training tracks and in his trials.

“He’s a lovely horse to train, we just have to get into his head on race day that the winning post is not at the 300-metre mark.

“From the wide draw and the wet track today there was a lot against us. He needed to be pretty tough and he was.”

McDonald was full of praise for his mount, who has now earned more than A$1.2 million in prize-money.

“The team has done an amazing job,” he said. “From the first time I sat on him he felt like a really good sprinter. Things don’t really go his way and he makes it hard for himself. He sprung the gates really well and I just sat on him like a quiet church mouse. I thought the give in the ground would be to his assistance and it was.

“I thought it was a dead heat, it probably deserved to be one, but it was a great race and he’s done it the tough way and won. They all can’t win like Winx, so I’ll take winning by a nose!”

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