Chris Waller‘s heroic eight-time Group 1 winning veteran Nature Strip is predicted to return a winner when the evergreen eight-year-old resumes in Saturday’s Group 1 $1 million Black Caviar Lightning (1000m).
Nature Strip is the horse to beat first-up in Flemington’s 2023 Black Caviar Lightning this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.
The internationally performed King’s Stand Stakes champ at Royal Ascot is back at headquarters for his fourth run in the Black Caviar Lightning.
He was fourth as the beaten odds-on favourite in 2020, won the event in 2021 and finished a devastatingly close second to his younger stablemate Home Affairs after being slow out fresh last year.
This weekend the money is again on the $20.6 million earner to return to winning form with Nature Strip at $2.20 through Ladbrokes.
He races for the first time since his second in the Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic (1200m) here last November but looked the goods in a recent trial win at Warwick Farm.
James McDonald rode Home Affairs to victory for the stable last year but partners Nature Strip this weekend from barrier one chasing back-to-back victories.
Waller has also accepted for his Group 1 winning mare September Run who is drawn barrier six with Blake Shinn to ride.
The Exceed And Excel five-year-old is a $23 outsider in Black Caviar Lightning betting chasing her first win since the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at The Valley last March, and she rarely runs a bad race.
Two runners join Nature Strip at single-figures in Black Caviar Lightning markets this season and both hail from the stables of Ciaron Maher & David Eustace.
The team’s Group 1 Moir Stakes winning filly over the distance (1000m) at The Valley, Coolangatta, is the $7 second elect to win fresh.
The three-year-old daughter of Written Tycoon is looking to atone for her fifth to In Secret at Flemington in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) last Melbourne Cup Carnival.
She is joined in the Black Caviar Lightning field by Marabi ($9) and The Quokka-bound Bella Nipotina ($11) with both Group 1 winning mares also first-up.
It has been eleven months since punters last saw lightly-raced six-year-old Marabi.
She has her first run since suffering her only defeat to date when fifth to September Run in the William Reid last autumn.
Prior to that she won her opening seven starts including the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1000m) at Caulfield last Blue Diamond Stakes Day.
Pride Of Dubai five-year-old Bella Nipotina was huge improving on her second to Coolangatta in the Moir when she backed-up to win the rescheduled Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley by nearly five lengths last prep.
Her latest run saw her finish only 1.4 lengths back ninth behind Roch ‘N’ Horse in the Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic, and she faces a similar line-up of rivals fresh this weekend at headquarters.
The VRC Sprint Classic winner Roch ‘N’ Horse ($12) is also back with Michael Moroney‘s gun sprinter chasing a third elite level upset at the track having also taken out last year’s Newmarket at $101.
The other best in betting at $11 Black Caviar Lightning odds is the returning Peter Moody-trained $10 million Golden Eagle winner I Wish I Win in gate four with Luke Nolen in the saddle.
The 2023 Black Caviar Lightning is set to run as Race 7 at 4:20pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s nine-race Flemington card in Melbourne.
