Trainer Darren Weir’s rising sprinting star Nature Strip is weighted to win again when he lines up in the Listed $120,000 A.R. Creswick Series Final (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Nature Strip, above, is well in at the weights for the A.R. Creswick Series Final at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Nature Strip, above, is well in at the weights for the A.R. Creswick Series Final at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Nature Strip will be having his second run for the Weir stable and under the set weights and penalties conditions of the race, will carry 2kg less than the 60.5kg he lumped to victory in the 1100m three year old Handicap down the Flemington straight on June 23.

The Paul Preusker trained I Am Someone finished four and a half lengths behind Nature Strip at Flemington with 52kg on his back but jumps up to 57.5kg for the A.R. Creswick Series Final, meeting the Weir trained three year old 7.5kg worse off.

The Danny O’Brien trained Order Of Command is another who will be challenging Nature Strip again and will also meet him 3.5kg worse off at the weights after finishing seven and a quarter lengths behind him and stable representative Matt Harrington said he would be struggling to reverse the results.

“It is hard to see how the swing in the weights with the set weights and penalties, how Nature Strip can be beaten,” Harrington told racing.com.

“He is in super form and was amazing the other day. Funny things can happen in racing. We will accept for the race and make a decision later in the week if we do decide to turn up.”

Harrington believes that Order Of Command will be better suited stepping up to the 1200m for the first time this preparation.

“We definitely think so. He was just following the wrong horse last time and we probably thought that if he had been following the right horse he might have finished two or three lengths closer and run a place in that race,” Harrington said.

“He has gone well since and we will just see what happens on the weekend.”

Nature Strip is undefeated from two runs down the Flemington straight and has drawn barrier five in the twelve horse field with last start winning jockey Damian Lane in the saddle again.

Damien Oliver will again be aboard Order Of Command who drew barrier three while Jordan Childs takes over from apprentice Fred Kersley on I Am Someone who has drawn barrier one.

Final Field for the A.R. Creswick Series Final (1200m)

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Hcp Rating
1 12111×241 NATURE STRIP Darren Weir Damian Lane 5 58.5kg 89
2 14x110x229 BEL SONIC Jason Warren Chris Parnham 8 57.5kg 74
3 x441320x13 DOUBLE JEOPARDY Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra Andrew Mallyon 4 57.5kg 70
4 3x20312x10 SPIRIT OF AQUADA Gareth Andrews Ben Thompson 2 57.5kg 71
5 2×21172 I AM SOMEONE Paul Preusker Jordan Childs 1 57.5kg 68
6 6x2111x232 SUN QUAN Mick Price Craig Williams 7 56kg 75
7 1x373x27 KING’S AUTHORITY Mick Price Noel Callow 10 56kg 68
8 023×114 ORDER OF COMMAND Danny O’Brien Damien Oliver 3 56kg 65
9 4x1x55 EL MAGNIFICENCE Pat Carey Rhys McLeod 12 56kg 63
10 x1848x1115 EGYPTIAN BULLET John McArdle Jamie Mott 11 55.5kg 81
11 2×1012 LAYEL Mick Price Michael Walker 9 54kg 67
12 21x21345x TAGREEDA Mick Price Michael Dee 6 54kg 67

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.