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By Ray Hickson

From where he was sitting Glyn Schofield could find no fault with TAB Everest favourite Nature Strip as he cruised to a trial win at Rosehill on Thursday.

Jockey Glyn Schofield (Pic: Steve Hart).

Fortunately for Schofield, who is on the comeback from a neck injury that required surgery, he was on the star sprinter’s back as his return to race riding went up a notch.

Nature Strip, the $5 current TAB Everest favourite, bounded to the lead in the all Chris Waller 900m trial and cleared out to win by 6-1/2 lengths over stablemates Subpoenaed and September Run in 54.94 seconds.

The two-time TJ Smith winner is expected begin his third Everest bid - he has the Chris Waller Racing slot - in Saturday week’s Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick.

“He was really relaxed for a very quick horse,’’ Schofield said.

“Chris has obviously got him going well and he feels like he is in good order. It was a good hitout and a good trial.

“Never having ridden him before, I’ve been on Ball Of Muscle once or twice when he’s eyeballed me and wanted to over race, he was really relaxed for me.

“He gave me a beautiful ride, there was no issue with him wanting to do too much and that indicates Chris has him in a good place.”

Waller posted a glowing post-trial update to his Twitter account shortly after the hitout where it was revealed it was the seven-year-old’s second trial for the preparation.

That suggests he’s at least had a private jump out at Rosehill in recent weeks.

“He has come back well, Stuart (trackwork rider Stuart Williams) has done a great job with him throughout his career,’’ Waller said.

“Glyn Schofield was rapt with him this morning and that was Nature Strip at his best really.

“He was very controlled. He didn’t take off and want to go too fast and Glyn said he was in his hands all the way and it was a nice routine workout.”

Schofield, who won five of the 11 heats on Thursday, hasn’t ridden in a race since Boxing Day and as keen as he is to get back to race riding said he will return in good time but is in no major rush.

When he does rejoin the riding ranks it’s likely he will need to complete a quarantine period.

Nature Strip wins a Rosehill trial on August 26

“When you ride top quality horses like Nature Strip it’s very pleasurable,’’ he said.

“I haven’t ridden one as good as him for a little while.

“I want to take it as it comes, I don’t want to be rushing everything. That’s the temptation to get back in the saddle straight away.

“I want to make sure everything is going the right way which it does seem to be. It was good to have the trials and that’s something that’s been ticked off from my perspective.”

All the results and replays from Thursday's Rosehill trials