Chris Waller’s comments about Moir Stakes favourite Nature Strip are concerning for punters which has seen his odds drift.
Waller released a statement about all of his feature runners this weekend but it was the comments he made about G1 Moir Stakes favourite Nature Strip which have concerned punters suggesting the horse should get over 1200m or further.
“Obviously, there is going to be plenty of speed on here. We won’t be taking away the speed from him,” Waller said.
“We will simply let him jump and be as settled as he possibly can be without over-racing, which was our intention last start, but when the pace slackened it left us in a very tricky position, and was unavoidable to avoid heels and sit three wide.
“Fortunately, he pulled up well from that race and with a lot more speed on in Friday night’s race, it should be on from the start to the finish, which I am sure will see him settle much better.
“The horse himself is very well and is settling much better at home as we have said all along, so I am hoping under race conditions, we get the benefits from this.
“Safely through Friday night’s race, his finishing position will determine what races we target next.
“I still feel ultimately he is a 1200m horse, possibly even further, but obviously, getting him to save energy for the finish is the key, whether he is let run or not, he must still have energy left over the last 100m against these types of horses.”