World-rated veteran Nature Strip and the young, very good but promising to be even better Aft Cabin stimulate more relevance on Saturday than sabre-rattling by Victoria to block NSW out of Racing Australia.
Being the wrong side of eight-years-fast, Nature Strip poses conundrums in the Lightning Stakes, which has been a major sprint since its inception in 1955 down Flemington’s 1000m straight. Meanwhile, Aft Cabin is out to justify shorter odds in the Hobartville – a launching pad for top-liners that goes back to 1925 at either Warwick Farm or today’s venue, Rosehill Gardens.
Nature Strip wins the 2021 Lightning Stakes under Jamie Kah.Credit:Getty
Aft Cabin’s stablemate, Anamoe, scored in the Hobartville last year for the highly functioning Godolphin operation under James Cummings and is currently Australia’s equal top-rated horse with Nature Strip on the 120 benchmark.
Apparently, Racing Victoria chairman Brian Kruger has decreed the possibility of declaring NSW banned with the goal of a “well-functioning RA”. This followed the move by Racing NSW supremo Peter V’landys to take other states to the NSW Supreme Court over alleged anti-competitive behaviour, a story that was broken by colleague Adam Pengilly.
V’landys is not a team player but a playmaker under whom NSW Racing is stronger in so many ways than ever before. “A well-functioning RA”? It’s been a waste of time and money in more recent years, but attempting to bring V’landys to heel won’t work as he takes on other states and tradition like a NSW forward hitting the Cane Toads line.
Sure I’m more tradition, and nor is the V’landys blockbuster The Everest one of my top races, but it has been a remarkable innovation that has changed the face of the Aussie turf scene.
However, the group 1 Lightning – an arena for sprinting greats – and group 2 Hobartville have stood the test of time.
None, though, have achieved the international acclaim of Royal Ascot winner Nature Strip, which would be the oldest sprinter in recent memory to lead the charge at the winning post.
To keep a gelding going so fast for so long as Nature Strip emphasises the trainer’s art as practised by Chris Waller.
Aft Cabin cruises home under James McDonald in the Eskimo Prince Stakes on February 4.Credit:Getty
On ratings, Nature Strip has a considerable edge on rivals under the weight for age conditions. Alas, even in this era when old timers retain their zest, short odds about him is ponderable.
Best Bets produced a worthwhile statistic: Nature Strip has had 17 starts at $2.40 and under for five wins, four seconds and a third.
So if you don’t want to take the price about the favourite?
Three-year-old filly Coolangatta is tuned to blister over the short distance. She was still a yearling when Nature Strip notched the Lightning in 2021.
The distance is well short of I Wish I Win’s best but, under Peter Moody, the four-year-old impresses as a budding top-liner – a tag Aft Cabin carries comfortably.
Only the great uncertainty of racing is Aft Cabin’s hurdle. Yes, the Astern colt has drawn out in 11, but there is no better barrier jockey at present than Tim Clark, who takes over from James McDonald, who is down south for Nature Strip.
Of course, promising types including Osipenko oppose Aft Cabin. Osipenko was less than four lengths behind Aft Cabin last start in the Eskimo Prince at Randwick, but the navigation was a real mess.
From the one gate over the extra journey (1400 metres) Osipenko, under Nash Rawiller again, will do much better. But enough to account for Aft Cabin?
Rawiller takes over on King’s Gambit in the Silver Slipper Stakes as the two-year-old season builds momentum and, like rival Platinum Jubilee, his chance last time out when downed at $1.28 favourite was influenced by mishap around the barrier.
And a tip for Racing Victoria? Drop the Cox Plate to November (not a bad idea) at your peril; V’landys will replace it on the same day with a similar event in Sydney quicker than it will take Nature Strip to sprint the 1000 metres today.
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