Boom sprinter Nature Strip announced himself a Group 1 star in the making with a dominant win in the $250,000 Inglis Dash at Flemington.
A 3YO son of Widden Stud's Nicconi, Nature Strip made it four wins from just five career starts to live up to the hype which saw him start a $1.50 favourite.
Nature Strip (Nicconi x Strikeline) is a graduate of the 2016 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Golden Grove Stud, who also bred the youngster.
He beat fellow Premier Yearling Sale graduate Prezado (Denman) and Classic Yearling Sale youngster Bravo Tango (Congrats) in the Inglis Dash, down the Flemington straight.
The Robert Hickmott-trained Nature Strip is now a $5.50 Sportsbet favourite for the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield on February 24 and $11 third favourite for the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington a fortnight later.
Hickmott received a pair of Swarovski Optik binoculars for the win, as is the case for all winning trainers of an Inglis Race Series event.
Golden Grove General Manager Toby Koenig was excited about the horse's future.
"It was his first time down the straight and he did get lost a little bit but he stretched out nicely toward the end and we couldn't be happier,'' Koenig said.
"As a yearling he always had a lovely frame but he was a bit like a teenager in that he just needed that extra time to properly fill out.
"It's great that he's been given that time by the connections and he's now showing the potential we always knew he had and there's so many options for him moving forward, the Oakleigh Plate, Newmarket, races he won't get any weight in, and even a $13m race in Sydney in October if he's still going this well then.
"In that same draft at Premier in 2016 was Crown Witness so that's two extremely nice horses we presented and we're looking forward to getting to the Classic Sale in a few weeks and then back to Melbourne for the Premier Sale where we have some really nice horses in both drafts to offer buyers.''
The Classic Yearling Sale, the historic first sale at Riverside Stables, runs from February 10-13.
To view the Classic catalogue,CLICK HERE.
The Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale is less than three weeks later at Oaklands Junction, from March 4-7.
To view the Premier catalogue,CLICK HERE.
