Nature Strip confirmed for The Everest

TJ Smith Stakes winner Nature Strip will represent the TAB in The Everest.

Australia’s top sprinter Nature Strip has secured his spot in The Everest and will run for the TAB which has posted him $4 favourite.

The four-time Group One winner is trained by Chris Waller and won the TJ Smith at his most recent start.

“It’s really exciting to partner with TAB who have been supporters of The Everest for a long time. I’m confident the learnings from Nature Strip competing in The Everest last year will go a long way in 2020,” Waller said.

“With this partnership in place, we can now build a plan for the remainder of the year to give us the best possible chance of success.”

Nature Strip finished fourth behind the Waller-trained three-year-old Yes Yes Yes in The Everest in October.

No date has been confirmed for this year’s race amid uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The coronavirus crisis scuppered plans to take Nature Strip to Royal Ascot which is scheduled for June but racing in England remains shut down.

The other market leaders for The Everest (1200m) are Alligator Blood and Bivouac at $8 followed by Pinatubo and Santa Ana Lane at $11.

Tabcorp Managing Director Wagering and Media, Adam Rytenskild said the wagering giant was thrilled to confirm Nature Strip as its runner.

“Each year the race continues to grow in popularity and we are proud to have been involved from the beginning,” he said.

“We went so close with our slot when Santa Ana Lane ran a great second last year and we are confident Nature Strip is the horse to beat this year.

“We look forward to involving our customers along the journey to race day.”