Nature Strip Eyes Everest Score

For three decades from 1978, the Nine Network used the slogan "Still The One" to promote both its perceived and genuine dominance in the Australian broadcast market, especially after the emergence of cable television in the mid-1990s.

The ads, backed by the Orleans song of the same name, featured many of its personalities espousing the value of the network (including a memorable cameo from John Tapp in the bicentennial ad in 1988, calling sports commentators like Richie Benaud and Ian Chappell jumping from a Ray Warren- and Max Walker-piloted, Alan Bond-owned blimp).

The ads continued even for a short period after they had ceded ground to the Seven Network in the mid-2000s, the campaign still evoking memories of the channel at its best even when it had lost some of that luster.

Perhaps the same can be said of Nature Strip, the reigning Australian Horse of the Year who enters the world's richest race on turf, the Oct. 17 $15 million The Everest Stakes, as the horse to beat—if the Nature Strip who won that title shows up.

The Chris Waller-trained sprinter enters his grand final having had a far-from-ideal preparation, although when putting all the puzzle pieces together, it may not have been as bad as it seems.

Beaten first up in the Sept. 5 Tab Concorde Stakes (G3)? He didn't win at either of his first-up runs during his Horse of the Year season. No problem.

Throwing rider James McDonald at the jump in a barrier trial? Clearly a freak accident. It was something he'd never looked like doing before, and he may never do it again, either.

Beaten again and disappointing in the Oct. 3 Bisley Workwear Premiere Stakes (G2)? McDonald seemed to be cautious aboard the speedster at the start, and perhaps due to that caution, he was slightly slow to muster. That forced him to do plenty of work before then being able to cross Standout, with that effort showing late.

In a spring where so much has gone wrong, though, all that is needed is for something to go right for Nature Strip to figure.

Nature Strip backers will likely know their fate at the start. The 6-year-old can't afford to be slow to muster once again, particularly from gate 5 with the race likely to develop around him if he is tardy.

With $15 million on the line, expect McDonald to be aggressive from the gates, using the horse's natural speed to ensure he doesn't have to work hard to get into that frontrunning role.

The query then is what happens with Eduardo, another horse with natural speed, although one who probably isn't as quick as Nature Strip.

Rachel King will have one of the toughest roles of any rider in the race: ensuring Eduardo doesn't jeopardize his own chances by getting into a speed duel with Nature Strip, but also making sure the Joe Pride-trained chestnut doesn't gift the race to the champion sprinter by allowing him to dictate on his own terms.

If the real Nature Strip doesn't turn up, or even if he does but finds circumstances against him, there are a host of horses who could join Redzel and Yes Yes Yes as an Everest winner.

Gytrash flies fresh and has been intentionally prepared with that in mind. He has only raced once this spring, producing a mammoth effort to defeat Nature Strip comfortably in the Concorde Stakes.

His fellow South Australian Behemoth has always looked like a group 1 winner in the making, and he has finally put it all together this spring, winning the Spring Stakes (G3), the Magic Millions Memsie Stakes (G1), and the Neds Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (G1) impressively.

The form from the Memsie, in particular, looks solid with a subsequent Toorak Handicap (G1) winner in Mr Quickie, a Bill Stutt Stakes (G2) victor in Glenfiddich and a Stocks Stakes (G2) heroine in Mystic Journey in behind, while his effort to carry 60 kilograms in victory in the Sir Rupert Clarke cannot be understated.

And so, after months of speculation about who would line up in the feature, after weeks of wheeling and dealing, the quick ascent to the Everest summit takes place Saturday.

Seventy seconds. $15 million. One winner.