Dubbed overrated, described as polarising and enigmatic; Nature Strip has enjoyed one of the most fascinating careers in Australian racing.

Among the horses' nineteen owners are five Horsham part-owners, Craig Garland, Geoffrey Dumesny, Craig Bennett, Frank Giampaolo, and the late David McCluskey.

The group has a minor stake in the horse, with All Blacks coach Steve Hansen also a co-owner. There are about 19 owners all up.

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The Horsham friends have "had horses together for almost 25 years" Garland told the Wimmera Mail-Times, but Nature Strip has been a revelation.

"The last couple of horses we had before Nature Strip were pretty slow, so we decided to give it a bit of rest."

The chance to join a syndicate and become part-owners of Nature Strip arose by chance, according to Garland.

"We kept putting money away and I asked a friend of mine, Robert Smerdon, to find a horse for us and (Nature Strip) was the horse he found."

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Foaled on November 16, 2014, the chestnut gelding didn't exactly leap out of the blocks.

Nature Strip won its first race at Mornington, under Smerdon's care but lost its first metropolitan start.

Superstardom seemed a long way off, with Nature Strip's career up in the air not long after, when Smerdon was given a lifetime ban by Racing Victoria for his part in the Aquanita doping scandal.

Following Smerdon's ban, the sprinter went through three trainers in 2018; Robert Hickmott, John Sadler and Darren Weir.

Weir was arrested in January 2019 for 'jiggering' horses Red Cardinal, Tosen Basil and Yogi at Weir's Warrnambool stables.

The horses were alleged to have been shocked with electric cattle prods as they ran on a treadmill ahead of the Melbourne Cup to 'enhance' their performance.

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Following the Ballarat trainer's subsequent disqualification, his horses were transferred to other stables, with Nature Strip ending up joining the stable of Sydney-based trainer Chris Waller.

After stumbling in its first Group 1 start under Waller, Nature Strip was described by media outlet RSN as overrated and "Australia's most polarizing horse".

"He's a sectional star who has sizzling speed from the gate, but he feels the pinch when the whips are cracking," Matt Nevett wrote for RSN in February 2019.

However, a month later the superstar won its maiden Group 1 victory; the Galaxy in Sydney, the same race Nature Strip's father won in 2009.

Wins in Group 1 races the Moir Stakes and Darley Sprint Classic followed to close out 2019, all the while Nature Strips' star was slowly rising.

For owners like Garland, who never expected a superstar horse, the journey has been the most enjoyable part.

"He's been a real excitement machine; he puts a smiles on a lot of peoples' faces, other than his owners and partners," Garland said.

"People still say 'I can't believe you've got a share in that horse' and I say we have, and we've enjoyed it."

"It's a real buzz... we got the horse thinking we might be able to win a race on a Wednesday or a Saturday in Melbourne, for him to be able to achieve these sort of things is just mind-boggling, it beggars belief."

Garland said he'd been keen to travel to London if Nature Strip made a return visit, as has been hinted at by trainer Waller.

"After what the excitement of what happened, I probably, most-certainly will," Garland said, noting that whether Nature Strip does return is still up in the air.

From winning the world's most expensive turf race - the Everest in 2021, to triumph at Royal Ascot in 2022, Nature Strip has cemented its spot as one of the world's greats.

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