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With owners like the All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, New Zealand businessman Patrick Harrison, Peter Kean, Greg Smith, Jack Van Durren, and Rod Lyons, Nature Strip was used to being in celebrity circles even before he ran his first race. Australia's top sprinter was also the first out of the stable when he was the first to be confirmed as the Everest Sprint contender for TAB Corp.
The Everest Diaries speaks to co-owner Rod Lyons about Nature Strip's second punt at The Everest Cup, the story of their syndicate and much more:
Q: Firstly could you tell us a bit more about his campaign towards The Everest?
A: After a couple of trials and a track gallop, he will race in the Concorde Stakes followed by another 1200m race in two weeks (The Premier stakes) and then finally The Everest.
Q: After The Everest, do you have any international races planned?
A: Depending on how Nature Strip performs, we are all pretty keen to travel. We had invitations to Dubai and the Royal Ascot this year but things didn't work out. We love having a good time. As long as Waller agrees, anything is possible!
Q: How is he doing these days?
A: He looks terrific, and he’s ready to race against the world's best sprinters in The Everest. He was always a big horse, and he has taken his own time to mature. But he’s had just 20-odd starts. We believe the best is ahead of him yet.
Q: Please tell us about another stable star you expect to see growing big?
A: We have an unraced but rising 2YO by Under TheLourve who won the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap in 2016. He is co-owned by Peter Brown (ex-owner of 2019 Everest contender In Her Time who has now been retired). We hear very highly of him. He is very forward, intelligent, and physically very good.
Q: What do you think of this year’s Everest offering?
A: We believe this year will be even more exciting than last year. Already A$15m has been confirmed as prize money. About 5000 spectators are likely to be allowed on the racecourse, and we love the fact that this year racing is the biggest sporting event
Q: Have you considered a punt at The Melbourne Cup with a stayer?
A: We enjoy owning horses and winning races. You have to be very lucky to get an Australian-bred horse that can compete. We have one that's a possibility (Tavistock colt out of a Zabeel mare) called Through Irish Eyes who is a rising 3YO. But the English, French, Japanese, and Irish have an incredible advantage with hundreds of years of the stayer bloodlines and top-notch pedigree.
Q: How did Nature Strip come to be bought by you?
A: A friend of a friend bought Nature Strip as a yearling. But they ran into financial troubles and couldn’t pay. So my friend rang and asked if I would like to buy him instead. At that point, he had already been broken in. We liked him from the start and decided to buy him when our friend called to tell us about this situation.
Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself?
A: I used to be a General Manager of a very large manufacturing company. We moved from Melbourne to a small farm in the Mornington peninsula. We have a few sheep and a few vines growing. It’s a stunning part of the world, with beaches on both sides of the peninsula. We couldn’t be happier!