THERE is a case to be made that Australian horses are slightly over-rated at a mile plus, but their sprinters are clearly among the best in the world, even if the biggest races have tended to be shared around in the last couple of years.

It was the turn of Nature Strip – a talented seven-year-old, if not always the most consistent – to step up to the plate at Flemington at the weekend in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, a race won by the likes of Choisir, Takeover Target and Miss Andretti, in addition to the eponymous heroine in 2011, 2012 and 2013.