News

Nature Strip in a league of his own

6th Nov 2021

Nature Strip (Nicconi) reaffirmed his status as the world’s best sprinter with a demolition job in today’s G1 Darley Sprint Classic at Flemington.

And outstanding 2YO colt Sejardan (Sebring) kept his unbeaten record intact with a stunning last-to-first win in the $1m Inglis Rural Property Golden Gift at Rosehill.

The magnificent Nature Strip – an Inglis Premier Yearling Sale graduate - was in a race of his own down the famous Flemington straight, securing a seventh G1 win with ease.

Remarkably, it was also his 19th career victory at just his 34th start and took his prizemoney through the $16m barrier.

A Golden Grove offering at the 2016 Premier Sale, Nature Strip’s win today added to his most recent success in the $15m The Everest at Randwick three weeks ago, capping off a spectacular spring carnival.

It also capped off a huge Melbourne Cup Carnival for his trainer Chris Waller, who won seven races over the four days at Flemington including last Saturday’s G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes with untapped 3YO Home Affairs, an Easter Yearling Sale graduate.

“He’s a very special horse,’’ Waller said of Nature Strip.

“I think longevity is the key with these good horses, there’s a great group of sprinters going around at the moment as we saw in the Everest, Eduardo and Masked Crusader etc, Australia has some really good sprinters at the moment which is great to see, and this guy is top of the charts.

Nature Strip (pictured) is one of 65 G1-winning Inglis graduates since 2018.

He will now be spelled and return for a range of G1 races in the autumn before a potential Royal Ascot trip in June 2022.

“We’ve planned it twice before, a trip over there, but Covid has put a stop to it so we’ll see what happens.’’

At Rosehill, the Gary Portelli-trained Sejardan scored a spectacular come-from-behind win in the Golden Gift, asserting himself the best 2YO colt to have raced thus far this season.

The win saw TAB firm his odds into a $15 second favourite for the G1 Golden Sipper in March, but Portelli has pre-Slipper goals to achieve first.

“The Inglis Millennium looks the perfect race for him now,’’ the trainer said.

“I can give him a break now and likely head straight to the Millennium, it’s worth $2m which is a lot of money and then maybe one more run after that and have him peaking again on Slipper Day.

“He’s an exciting colt, he’s the sort of colt who’ll get further too so he could be a Triple Crown horse in the autumn – the Millennium first then Slipper, Sires and Champagne, who knows.

“He has an old man’s head on a young person’s body which is what you really want in these early 2YOs.’’

Portelli purchased Sejardan for $160,000 at this year’s Classic Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Middlebrook Valley Lodge.

Middlebrook will offer a Trapeze Artist half brother to Sejardan at next year’s Easter Yearling Sale at Riverside in April.

Bred by Dale Miller – who purchased Sejardan’s dam Miss Amajardan for $6500 at the Scone Yearling Sale - today’s win comes after Sejardan was a dominant winner of the G3 Breeders Plate at Randwick on debut a month ago.

Since the introduction of the $1m Golden Gift, each running has been won by an Inglis graduate following previous successes by Dame Giselle (2019) and Sneaky Five (2020).

In Perth tonight, it was a Stakes double for Inglis graduates as It’sarayday (Listed Fairetha Stakes) and Massimo (G2 Lee Steere Stakes) were both successful.

It’sarayday (Winning Rupert) is one of Perth’s most promising up-and-coming gallopers, with today’s win his third from four starts, with his only other outing ending in a second placing.

The 3YO is an $80,000 Classic Yearling Sale buy for his trainer Simon Miller, when offered by Newgate Farm.

And Massimo (Sessions) gave Inglis Digital another Stakes winner with his success in the feature race of the program.

His trainers Michael and Chris Gangemi purchased him for $150,000 through Inglis Digital in June this year.

He has raced three times since for two second placings and tonight’s win.

The Inglis Digital November (Early) Online Sale is now open for bidding, with a catalogue of 181 lots on offer.

To view the catalogue, CLICK HERE.

Earlier in the day in New Zealand it was an Inglis graduates quinella in the Listed Waikato Sprint when Raposa Rapida (Foxwedge) defeated Run To Perfection.

Trained by Stephen Marsh, Raposa Rapida was having his first run since May and proved too strong, scoring a first Stakes victory and seventh career win.

He’s a $150,000 Easter Yearling Sale purchase for Go Racing from the Muskoka Farm draft.