After being scratched from the $15 million The Everest a fortnight back, Lost And Running is the well-supported favourite to atone with a consolation win in Saturday’s 2022 Nature Strip Stakes field at Rosehill.

Lost And Running is favourite to win the 2022 Nature Strip Stakes in Sydney this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.

Registered as the Winners Stakes and renamed annually in honour of the previous spring’s The Everest champion, this year’s $3 million Nature Strip Stakes (1300m) features a typically top-class and open field of sprinters.

The John O’Shea-trained Lost And Running was second in the event last year on the back of his The Everest fourth to Nature Strip.

The now six-year-old son of Per Incanto was on track for another good run in world’s richest turf race, subsequently won in an upset by three-year-old Giga Kick, after winning the Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) in a fighting finish in early October.

He was scratched however after failing a vet inspection, but is expected to bounce back and salute for the punters from barrier five with Hugh Bowman aboard on Saturday.

Current Nature Strip Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have Lost And Running on top at $2.60, while three of his rivals are also under double-figures for the win.

Occupying the second line of Nature Strip Stakes betting at $4.20 is the rails-drawn Mazu for Peter & Paul Snowden.

He comes off an eye-catching last start third in The Everest when only a length off the winner at a big price.

The Maurice four-year-old was outstanding last preparation stringing together a picket fence of wins that included a Group 2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m) win on a Heavy (10) at Randwick and his Group 1 Doomben 10,000 success over the same distance in Brisbane.

He is rock hard fit this weekend fourth-up and was beaten the barest of margins in his Everest lead-up behind Lost And Running in the Premiere with the benefit of that subsequent run ahead of their rematch.

The other best out of The Everest results in Saturday’s lucrative feature sprint is Joe Pride’s runner-up Private Eye at $5.50 with Brenton Avdulla to ride from the outside alley.

The Al Maher gelding has been racing in career best form his last two when winning Flemington’s Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) fresh on a firm Good (3) track by over two lengths with 60kg before his narrow defeat on Soft going in The Everest quinella.

The defending Winners Stakes winner, Eduardo, rounds out the hopes at single-figures paying $8 to become the first two-time champion of the event at its fourth running.

The veteran nine-year-old, also prepared by Pride, is out in gate 11 with Nash Rawiller riding the Rosehill track specialist (5:4-0-0) who is looking to atone for his disappointing 11^th in The Everest.

Eduardo was in good form prior to that winning the Group 3 Concorde Stakes fresh on a Heavy (9) and his close fourth to Nature Strips in the Group 2 The Shorts, and he always goes to another level at Rosehill Gardens.

The Nature Strip Stakes 2022 is scheduled to run as Rosehill Race 7 at 4:00pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s big 10-race card in Sydney with full markets from Ladbrokes.com.au available here.

2022 Nature Strip Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw  

Table Credit: Racing Australia.