A bush sprinter has almost caused one of the biggest boilovers on a Sydney racetrack, splitting benchmark sprinters and archrivals Eduardo and Nature Strip in a four-horse Challenge Stakes that had it all.
Shelby Sixtysix had won Highway Handicaps at his past two starts and was expected to be outclassed when he took on two of the fastest horses in the land in Saturday’s Group 2 race.
But he almost upstaged them both.
Nature Strip ($1.70 fav) was a touch slow to jump but quickly mustered speed to camp behind Eduardo, however when James Mcdonald called on him to give chase, the champion sprinter struggled to let down on the testing conditions and with 150m to go, Eduardo ($2.30) had his measure.
But nobody was expecting Shelby Sixtysix ($61) to launch from the back of the field, surging through along the inside and giving Eduardo a late fright to get within a long head of him on the line, Nature Strip another 1-1/4 lengths away.
Winning trainer Joe Pride said jockey Nash Rawiller’s plan to utilise Eduardo’s speed paid off – just.
“I think that was what brought Nature Strip undone but it nearly brought him undone as well,” Pride said.
“There is a delicate balance there. I’m not going to criticise Nash because he gets it right so many times, but it was probably set up for something to come home.
“It was an epic contest again and I’m just so happy to see him win another Group race.”
Eduardo and Nature Strip have now clashed nine times with the ledger 5-4 in Nature’s Strip’s favour.
They are set to meet again in the T J Smith Stakes during The Championships and longer-term, Pride is hoping Eduardo gets another Everest call-up.
McDonald said he wasn’t disappointed in the effort of Nature Strip, who has at times been vulnerable second-up.
“Good run but his wheels just spun in the ground,” McDonald said.
Danny Williams was almost speechless at the performance of Shelby Sixtysix and said he never expected the horse to challenge the two outstanding sprinters.
“We never ever came here thinking we could compete,” Williams said.
“But we had to keep him ticking over and it was an outstanding run.
“He didn’t know they were Group One horses.”