John O’Shea concedes defending champion Nature Strip probably needs to have an off day if he is to be toppled in the $15 million The Everest.

While rapt with the form and progress of his last-start Premiere Stakes winner Lost And Running, O’Shea is a realist and says Nature Strip is ranked as the world’s benchmark sprinter for good reason.

“Irrespective of ground, for us to beat Nature Strip, Nature Strip is going to have to put in a lesser performance, and we’re going to have to put in a better a performance,” O’Shea said.

“If all things are equal, he will beat us nine times out of ten. He is the best sprinter in the world.

“But there are always the great vagaries of racing and if Nature Strip got attacked in the lead or had something go wrong and we were unimpeded, we’re going to run very well.”

Lost And Running was an unseasoned horse when he finished a commendable fourth to Nature Strip at his first Everest attempt last year.

Now a six-year-old with an extra 12 months of racing under his belt and having beaten the likes of last year’s Everest runner-up Masked Crusader in the Premiere, he is regarded as Nature Strip’s biggest threat as a $7 second favourite behind the even-money elect.

O’Shea is adamant the barrier will be crucial to the chances of his charge and is hoping Lost And Running can draw closer to the outside than the inside.

“I think this year is a lot different to previous years in that there will be a lot of horses looking for the oxygen mask at the top of the straight and the last thing you want is to be impeded by them,” he said.

While O’Shea believes Nature Strip has a stranglehold on this year’s race, he also has great faith in the ability of his own horse and the improvement Lost And Running has made in the past 12 months.

The horse heads to The Everest with the benefit of two solid runs in The Shorts (1100m) and Premiere Stakes (1200m) and O’Shea has him ready to peak third-up.

“He looks fantastic and we’re looking forward to next Saturday,” he said.