Jockey James McDonald steered the Chris Waller-trained horse across the line with ease, nearly two-and-a-half lengths ahead of the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Wild Ruler.

Nature Strip, which is currently the world's highest rated sprinter, is part-owned by Horsham residents Craig Garland, Geoffrey Dumesny, Craig Bennett, Frank Giampaolo, and the late David McCluskey.

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Watching from home in Horsham, Garland was "very excited" with the result.

"It was great to have him back on the track," Garland said.

"Pretty disappointed we can't be there, but it's great that they're still racing."

The win is a good sign for the champion horse, which is the favourite for The Everest, The World's Richest Turf Race, on October 16 at Randwick.

This year will be Nature Strip's third attempt at the Everest after consecutive fourth-placed finishes, despite being the favourite in 2020.

Garland is feeling more confident this Spring after last year's was "one to forget".

"Things just didn't go his way and he had quite a few things not right with him that we probably didn't work out until afterwards," he said.

"That was his third go at the Concorde Stakes and he failed at odds on or favourite, in the previous two runnings of it.

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"It's a great sign, it's fantastic really. Touch wood that it all goes his way this year."

According to Garland, the 2019-20 Australian Racehorse of the Year looks to have become more "settled" than he had been in the past.

"He appears to be very settled and I think he showed that in the Autumn when he had his three runs...," he said.

"James McDonald seems to think he's more relaxed which is pretty unusual for a horse that's seven years old and he's only just starting to realise he can relax and still have a good head of steam at the end of it."

It is unconfirmed which races Waller will enter Nature Strip in, ahead of the Everest, however Garland believed that the sprint champion will "probably have one more race" before the feature event.

"He'll probably have one more and I think the plan is to probably go to the Premiere Stakes," he said.

"He may have a barrier trial in a fortnights time."

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