STAR racehorse Nature Strip will carry the hopes of a Horsham syndicate in a star-studded group 1 race at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
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Nature Strip is favourite to win the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) and claim the majority of the $1.25 million prizemoney for Horsham part-owners Frank Giampaolo, Craig Bennett, Geoffrey Dumesny, Craig Garland and David McCluskey.
But the five-year-old faces some stiff competition, with several group 1 winners among the 13 horse field.
Part owner Craig Bennett said he was optimistic about their star sprinter's chances.
"It's one of the best fields of the last 12 months. It's up there with The Everest, that's for sure," Garland said.
"There's 13 horses and I think eight or nine of them are group 1 winners, so it's a hard race.
"(Nature Strip) looked pretty good in the barrier trial last week - so fingers crossed.
"If he's at his best, he'll be hard to catch."
The Horsham syndicate however won't be able to cheer on Nature Strip in person, as all races are run without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's disappointing not to be there, but it's just good that the race is going ahead," Garland said.
"We were planning to fly up there yesterday then head to the Gold Coast for a week on Monday, but that's obviously been canned.
"But it's alright; at least we've got something to watch from the couch on Saturday."
Garland hoped the spectacular journey of supporting Nature Strip could continue through the crisis.
"I think his best year will be this year - the best years are generally (when they are) five to six," he said.
"The prizemoney has been slashed in half (from $2.5 million to $1.25 million) too, but you've got to put up with that. Winning races is about more than the prizemoney anyway, we get a lot of enjoyment out of it.
"It's very exciting and pretty hard to believe when you think about it. It's very amazing to be in this position."
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