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| Staff Writer |
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But, oh, that immeasurable value of good fortune!
Lyons, part of the 15-member ownership syndicate of defending Everest champion Nature Strip, convinced his partners to take a roll on a yearling whose ownership ran into financial difficulties.
“We're very, very lucky that we had a strong relationship with the trainer,” Lyons said. “He’d had this horse in work for nearly 12 months. He rang me because we had other horses with him.
“He said, ‘Look, get your syndicate together. I can guarantee you'll get your money back, this horse has got a stack of ability. I suggest you guys get involved with it.”
“So we knew from a bit of inside information that the horse had ability and showed the trainer a fair bit of ability. Because of our strong relationship with the trainer, well he egged us and gave us the advice to take a share in this horse.”
The venture has jetted into accomplishments of epic Group 1 proportions for the 7-year-old gelded turf sprinter and his connections.
Following his three-peat victory in the April 1 TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick Racecourse, then following it up with a shockingly easy five-length romp in the June 14 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, Nature Strip vaulted past Redzel and into second place all-time among Australian and New Zealander career prize money earners with $18.4 million in the strongbox.
He now trails only the incomparable Winx (A$26,451,174).
Or course, being headed is something Nature Strip detests. This isn’t lost on his management team, nor with Hall of Fame trainer Chris Waller or jockey James McDonald.
Flying from the barrier, Nature Strip continually places the bull’s eye on his nose. Pace makes the race, and he’s more than happy to carve the splits.
“It's so exciting,” Lyons said. “He is a beautiful, beautiful thoroughbred. As I say, all the owners are as excited as I am. To have seen him mature is fantastic.
“He's got a magnificent temperament. He's kind in the eye. He has that big girth and magnificent action. He is a beautiful, beautiful-looking racehorse.
“I think when people see him in the flesh, they'll agree with what I’m saying,” Lyons said.
But never underestimate the defending Everest champ: Lyons says Nature Strip has an inner switch, be it during training sessions, trials or race days.
“He is the strong, silent type,” Lyons said. “He walks around the stable in the morning, like he wouldn't hurt an ant. As soon as he gets to the barrier, it just switches on. It's just another level — he gets a white-line fever. He just wants to get out there and race.”
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Actually, Nature Strip had already passed an Ascot litmus test in his previous TJ victories, but the logistics amid a worldwide pandemic didn’t fit the schedule for a trip to Royal Ascot. The connections have also considered an invitation to race in Dubai.
While a trip to England was on the front burner for Nature Strip — Lyons and his group booked the trip to take in the victory — returning home and being ready for the Oct. 15 Everest title defense now carries just as much weight. At stake would be a repeat as Australian Horse of the Year.
The onus falls on how Nature Strip handles the shipping, in addition to how Waller conditions him leading up to the race.
“We’ve already secured a spot in the Everest,” Lyons said. “We've got Chris Waller’s racing slot again. So he'll be doing his darnedest to make sure he can bring Nature Strip back from Royal Ascot and have him 100% for this year’s Everest.”
For Lyons, the more contests, the better.
“Australians and New Zealanders are very competitive,” he said. “I played a lot of sports, Australian Rules Football, cricket, tennis, swimming, bike riding. I think you're always competitive; you always want to do your best, perform well, and win. Then I got involved with racehorses, at a very early age through my father and my uncle. They owned a share in a horse, and one thing led to another and it's been in my blood ever since.”
During his years as general manager of a carpet manufacturing company, Lyons unknowingly began shaping the platform of the current racing syndicate.
The parallels are uncanny.
“You've got to manage people, you've got to lead a team,” Lyons said. “You've got to set an example, you've got to plan for the future. All those things … they help you with putting a syndicate together.
“As a matter of fact, two or three of the members of the syndicate are my former clients. So we have a lot in common from there, but leading the team, setting your objectives, understanding the highs and the lows. They're very similar.”
Adding a conditioner such as Waller to the fold only fortifies Lyons’ core beliefs.
“Chris is an absolute gentleman,” Lyons said. “It’s ‘what you see is what you get.’ He’s very even-tempered and a great planner.
“I think he's got that God-given gift that not many people have. We’ve had some great trainers in Australia, America, and England, Ireland — all around the world. The ones that stand out are the ones that have got that God-given gift that just some people just haven't got. His eye for a horse, his calmness, the way he plans, the strategies, and staff he has around him.
“In horse racing, you're going to have your ups and downs; you're going to have many successes and failures. People who can take that on board and have a long-term strategy and a plan and lead people with them — It’s just a great advantage and a great plus to have. Chris has that in spades.”
Having captured last year’s Everest has Lyons and his group excited for the opportunity to repeat. The $15 million purse — unmatched worldwide by any other turf sprint — coupled with the intrigue of a dozen slot-holders negotiating potentially $600,000 entry fees from outside interests make the Everest unique.
“It's terrific,” Lyons said. “It adds to the drama, to the intrigue. There are 12 slots. If you've got a horse good enough, you can potentially get in. The negotiations are fun. As I say, it adds to the intrigue, the drive.
“It is a unique Australian type scenario. We love being competitive in whatever we do, and we try and be innovative. We’re a long way from the rest of the world. The whole concept of the Everest and the slots and negotiating is terrific.
“It adds to the drama of the race. And from the moment the race is over, people start talking about the next year — about who's going to be in and who's not going to be,” Lyons noted.
Lyons said the co-owners within the syndicate manage race-day drama in their own fashion.
“I'm normally pretty good (before a race), especially if I've got some friends around because the guys from New Zealand, they like to get there early and they like to have a couple of nerve settlers — a little bit of alcohol to calm the nerves.
“I’m normally pretty good. Especially if you've got your friends around, you tend to digress like we have a bet here and there. I much prefer that to being on my own. I do tend to become a nervous wreck,” he added.
For Lyons and fellow Australians, the Everest Carnival generates a great sense of pride.
“The whole Carnival is fantastic,” Lyons said. “Unfortunately, this year was marred by very, very unusual wet weather. We've had like three or four months of torrential rain nearly every week.
“But normally it's a beautiful time of the year; the weather's in the mid-20s. The standard Group 1 racing is phenomenal. The best jockeys in Australia get there and quite often they come from overseas.
“It's a fantastic Carnival really exciting Carnival. Of course, it’s topped off by the Everest, which is a fantastic day,” he added.
During Nature Strip’s 3-year-old campaign, Lyons and his group were offered A$2 million by interests in Hong Kong.
The deal never reached the beach.
“We did have quite a substantial offer from Hong Kong,” Lyons said. “But the guys in the group are in the horse business for fun, for a good time. Most of the guys in it are doing OK financially, so there was
no real reason to sell.
“It turned out to be a pretty wise decision.”