Waller weekly news 05 October 2017 The stable hit a real milestone on Saturday when smart colt Performer became the team s first winner of the Listed Breeders Plate at Randwick. With Chris s careful consideration for the longevity of horses and softer training approach such early success with juveniles has eluded us thus far however a decision was made a few years ago that it was time to put some focus on pursuing success in this sphere. From the bloodstock team s selection of some more precocious types to coming up with carefully managed breaking in and pre-training regimes for them so that they are very well conditioned and educated when they get to the races, we are now seeing the rewards with what we believe is a Golden Slipper hope for the team with other promising youngsters also coming through behind him. With three weeks to recover from her last run, Winx has slotted into life south of the border with aplomb and had her final quiet workout this morning before a media call. Chris and the team are more than happy with her going into the Gr.1 Turnbull at Flemington on Saturday while we also look forward to talented colt Tangled stepping out in the Gr.1 Spring Champion at Randwick amoung Plenty of other good hopes across the country! We wish all of our connections the best of luck and a safe weekend! INSIDE THIS ISSUE WINNERs News & photos www.cwallerracing.com admin@cwallerracing.com +612 9760 5700
l CHRIS WALLER RACING - WINNERS THIS WEEK performer 2yo C Exceed And Excel - Gavroche by Snippets This exciting son of Exceed And Excel made the perfect start to his racing career when taking out the Listed Breeders Plate at Randwick over 1000m on Saturday. Hugh Bowman was in the saddle and he didn t panic when Performer missed the start, allowing him to find his feet in the early stages behind the fast early speed. Performer travelled strongly throughout and Bowman produced him with a strong challenge to hit the front inside the final furlong for a highly impressive debut victory for this Mulcaster Bloodstock-selected Magic Millions colt. improvise 3yo F Hinchinbrook - Karalee by O Reilly Improvise had shown plenty of promise in both of her previous starts and it was a case of third time lucky for this daughter of Hinchinbrook when winning her maiden at Warwick Farm on Monday over 1300m. Gun hoop Hugh Bowman took the mount and he rode a typically patient race settling in fifth place early on before bringing her with a sustained run to hit the front close to home for a narrow success. black on gold 4yo G Sebring - Fools Gold by Commands Returning from a spell having last raced in the Queensland Derby this son of Sebring scored an impressive fresh up victory at Warwick Farm on Monday over 1600m under Hugh Bowman. Bowman settled him towards the rear of the field early on and he gradually crept into contention in the home straight before producing him with a strong run in the closing stages to record an easy success. On the evidence of this win he looks to be in for another profitable campaign. Thanks to Bradley Photographers, Ross Stevenson and darryl sherer for our weekly photos. www.bradleyphotos.com.au
l jaminzah 4yo G Master of Design - Sarchi Lodge by Grand Lodge This consistent sort rarely runs a bad race and has been in fine form of late and he continued that run of form at Warwick Farm on Monday over 1400m with Hugh Bowman aboard. As is the style which seems to suit the son of Master of Design best, Bowman settled him at the rear of the field early on before angling wide in the homestraight. Jaminzah let down with his customary strong finish to hit the front close to the finish for a gutsy success under the top weight of 60kg. ESTIKHRAAJ 6yo G Dansili - Shimah by Storm Cat The imported son of Dansili seems to relish the tight Canterbury circuit and he recorded his third victory over the 1900m distance at that track on Wednesday with Hugh Bowman in the saddle. Bowman rode a typically patient race switching him off at the tail of the field early on before coming with a sustained run as they straightened. He then squeezed through a gap between runners inside the final furlong to hit the front close to home for a gutsy win. This was his fourth win since joining the stable to go with a maiden win which was achieved in the UK. kaonic 3yo C Savabeel - Fast Love by Fastnet Rock This New Zealand bred son of Savabeel looks another promising horse to carry the colours of Neville Morgan worn by the legendary Rangirangdoo and more recently Kermadec. He scored an impressive initial success at Canterbury on Wednesday over 1550m. Glyn Schofield was aboard and he had to be patient as he settled Kaonic well off the early speed which was frantic with there being a tear-away leader who looked to have stole the race as they turned into the Canterbury straight six lengths clear of the chasing pack. Kaonic started to stay on strongly inside the final furlong as the long time leader began to weaken, hitting the front inside the last 100m for a promising win. shaolin kungfu 4yo G Fastnet Rock - Gypsy Dancer by Dance Floor The new Gold Coast stable has been in flying form of late and this son of Fastnet Rock continued that operation s rich vein of form when winning at Doomben on Wednesday over 1660m. Robbie Fradd has struck up a good relationship with the team and he was on board in the colours of Mr Lai. Fradd always had Shaolin Kungfu in a good position in the small field of five as he travelled in third place early on before bringing him with a strong challenge in the straight and he seemed to relish the heavy track conditions to record an impressive success.
l Breeders Plate breakthrough for Waller Chris Waller has added a new training achievement to his impressive record, with Performer securing his first Listed Breeders Plate with a record-setting debut at Randwick. Waller has rarely succeeded with a two-year-old before Christmas but the Exceed And Excel colt lived up to his name to start recouping his $450,000 price tag. Ridden by Hugh Bowman, Performer ($5) clocked 56.82 seconds over the 1000m to eclipse the 57.00 Murtajill recorded in 2006. He surged clear at the 100m mark to hit the line three-quarters of a length clear of Bondi ($4.60). Santos ($18) was 1-3/4 lengths further back in third. Waller was quick to credit his staff. We ve started targeting some nice colts with running speed, which we haven t really done in the past because we ve been targeting milers, he said. It s a whole new system we ve put in place to simply allow him (Performer) to get here. Sydney s premier trainer said although a lack of success with two-year-olds could be considered the missing link in his operation, it was a balancing act. It could also be our strong point by giving horses time. It certainly hasn t held us back in terms of end-of-year performances, he said. What it s meant is we don t get first pick of the well-bred horses. They go to the two-year-old trainers so we miss out on a lot of opportunity. Now we re identifying a few early types and allowing them to get through to the races so that might see us get some more two-year-old types next year. Peter and Paul Snowden claimed the previous two editions of the Breeders Plate but a filly took centre stage among their debutants when Satin Slipper ($6.50) pipped Setsuna ($21) by a head in the Listed Gimcrack Stakes (1000m). Satin Slipper is out of Pierro and Satin Shoes and owned by long-term breeder Belinda Bateman, who lost her husband, Edmund, in September 2015. She s from a very classy two-year-old family. It s very special for Mrs Bateman, who is carrying on the tradition, Paul Snowden said. Fiesta ($13) was a length adrift in third while $500,000 yearling and $4.60 favourite Witherspoon finished eighth after jumping from the outside gate. - AAP Racing
Chris Waller is feeling apprehensive. Winx, the champion mare he trains, is on a winning streak and tomorrow is race day. None of them get any easier; I m still anxious, he tells Stellar. I m still concerned about the probabilities that she ll get beaten one day soon. Winx s trainer tells all He need not have worried. The next afternoon at the Group One George Main Stakes at Sydney s Royal Randwick racecourse, proves not to be that day. In what has become her frequent, nailbite-inducing style, she comes from the back of the pack and wins easily. It marks Winx s 20th consecutive victory, putting her second behind only Black Caviar (who retired unbeaten with 25 straight wins) in the record books. Winx has been dubbed the people s horse, having captured the imagination of the racing community and the Australian public alike. Earlier this year, she was named the world s top turf horse at the Longines World s Best Racehorse Awards in London. In 2016, she was crowned Australian Horse of the Year after winning the prestigious Cox Plate and the Doncaster; Waller received the Bart Cummings Award for trainer of the year and her rider, Hugh Bowman, was crowned jockey of the year. To be on this ride with Winx puts Chris, 43, and his wife Stephanie, 41, in a position they never dared dream about growing up in small-town Foxton, on New Zealand s North Island. When I was growing up, Chris says, most families went to the races probably two or three times a year. My family went more probably once a month. Chris was raised on a dairy farm and caught the racing bug early; it has consumed him ever since. My grandparents were hobby-horse owners and breeders of a few horses at a time, he says. I was always around animals and the occasional horse, and was just infatuated. As a boy growing up on a dairy farm, you either dream of being an All Black or [being in racing]. Horse racing, he now realises, was the better fit. I wasn t very good at rugby, Chris laughs. I was amazed by horses. I remember strapping them when you take them to races and look after them and thought how good it was, how important you felt. I was in the right place at the right time, my responsibilities grew and I ended up being in management. His first job was with top New Zealand trainer Paddy Busuttin. It was during this time that Chris started dating Stephanie, who worked as a model they married in 2005 and have two children, Tyler, seven, and Nikita, four. They went to the same high school, but did not properly meet until, fittingly, a day at the races. I was singing in the band at the races and Chris s dad came up to me and said, Have you met my son? Stephanie recalls. I said, Yes, I do know who your son is. We got to talking and then Chris chased me for a little bit... then lost interest, she adds with a wry smile. Chris is vague on dates but thinks he was about 18 when he walked in and out of a bar that Stephanie was in without saying hello. That was when the tide turned. I chased up to him and said, Why didn t you say hello? Stephanie says. He turned and said, Call me. I called him and then it was all over. For his part, Chris denies that any indifference was tactical. I was starting to work with horses and more involved
with that than anything, he insists. Yet their partnership proved integral to Chris s success as a trainer when they started out, with Stephanie providing support both emotional and, via her modelling, financial. She says she always knew he would succeed. Any big wins tend to be celebrated at home, with their children and close friends. He s just so dedicated, motivated, Stephanie says. I just thought, How could he not? He inspires me to get up in the morning. He works hard. I knew he was going to [succeed] but not to this level. He has exceeded all expectations, but I don t think it s just luck. A lot of people say, Well, you re just lucky. It s a lot more than just luck. Despite their dizzying success, the Wallers lead a relatively low-key lifestyle. Inside their northwest Sydney home, not far from Rosehill Gardens racecourse, Sky Racing plays on a TV in the background and kids toys dot the floor. The main nod to their profession is the bulging trophy cabinet that contains, among plenty of other gongs, the two Cox Plates that Winx has won. If Winx wins her third this month, she will equal Kingston Town s triple plate record held since 1982. The champagne-sipping trackside aspect of racing is foreign to their day-to-day reality; Chris maintains a gruelling schedule that has him up at 3am six days a week. We re in bed by 8.30pm, Stephanie says. And any big wins tend to be celebrated at home, with their children and close friends. Family racing empires are an Aussie tradition, but Chris is not keen on the prospect of starting his own and puts this down to the punishing hours. I m dead against it. Our staff start at 3.40am to get our horses on the track at 4.30am, because that s when the track opens and I want my horses working on the best surface possible. I don t want to put my children through what I ve been through, and the social choices you have to make. I m very lucky. It hasn t affected my life; I ve got a great partner. But it s a pretty tough life. Chris s concern for his children is in part reminiscent of the genuine care he has for his horses. He grows emotional when he talks about Rangirangdoo, a champion he trained that broke down and had to be euthanised after a race in 2013. Tears fill his eyes as he explains, We just love our horses so much. They re like family. It tears you apart. When something like that happens so publicly, it draws criticism from some who ask whether racing is in the horses best interests. Chris wholeheartedly defends the sport. Yes, we do make money out of horses, he says. Yes, they run hard for us. But I ll go to my grave knowing they just love their job and are privileged to be with humans. And we feel the same. Winx s successes energise Chris. He has his eye on a third Cox Plate win and a European campaign next year to put her on the world stage. Winx is co-owned by Ingham family scion Debbie Kepitis. This links back to another significant break
for Chris, who in 2008 received a call from chicken magnate Bob Ingham, who was the biggest owner-breeder in the country. Ingham had just sold his racing empire for $500 million. He said, We ve sold the business, we ve sold the farm, the horses. We just want to buy a few horses and have some fun, Chris recalls. They had never met, but Ingham liked the way Chris conducted himself when on TV. Chris was surprised because, [I was] on the back of a little bit of success, but hadn t trained a group-one winner. Speaking of fateful phone calls, Chris was at Ascot with Brazen Beau in 2015 when he missed another one. His excuse now is that he was focused on other things ; luckily for him, somebody tapped him on the shoulder to share the news that the Queen wanted to meet him. His first point of order was, he says with a laugh, to Google what to do when you meet the Queen. Ultimately, he says, It was like sitting down with your grandmother and just having the best chat. She s just so interested in horses. She s so interested in Australia. She s so interested in people. And I just can t believe I had the opportunity to meet and get to see that side of her. Others seem to be saying the same of Chris, says Racing New South Wales CEO Peter V landys, who describes him as a rock star and says he has seen politicians asking him for an autograph. I had the pleasure of meeting Chris many years ago when he first arrived in Sydney and Stephanie was his girlfriend, and I always thought he was punching above his weight, V landys tells Stellar. He would say that he himself was battling, doing it tough... It s a classic case in my eyes; if you dedicate yourself and work hard, you can achieve anything. I saw Chris when he was a nobody and at all times he was a genuine, nice person. He has not changed. It is perhaps a quality that Chris shares with his star charge. What makes a horse like Winx so special, Chris says, is the fact that she is an Australian battler who has come good. - The Daily Telegraph
Winx and Tangled chase group 1s in different states for cwr Chris Waller has champion mare Winx ready to go for Saturday s Turnbull Stakes at Flemington. But there is also another group 1 on offer at Randwick and believes he has Tangled ready to peak. Waller has twice had a group 1 double separated by the 1000 kilometres between Melbourne and Sydney, the last when Vanbrugh won the Spring Champion Stakes on the same day as Press Statement took out the Caulfield Guineas two years ago. It is not something you think about really, Waller said. We are just getting the horses ready for target races they are best suited in and sometimes they fall on the same days. The Turnbull was considered the best option for Winx as a final lead-up for the Cox Plate on October 28 where she will attempt to match Kingston Town s record three wins in Australia s best weight-for-age race. Waller has been pleased with her progress since the George Main Stakes victory and said Winx, which will be shooting for a 21st consecutive victory, had settled in well to his Melbourne stable. She going really good and we were happy with her work on Monday morning, Waller said. She just goes about things the same way as usual. While Waller will be in Melbourne, he will keep close tabs on the Spring Champion and Tangled. The Snitzel colt announced himself as contender for the group 1 when a luckless fourth in the Dulcify Quality last week. It was a top effort with 60 kilograms and he never really got a crack at them, Waller said. He is out of an Oaks winner in Bramble Rose and he has always shown us that he would get over a trip. He actually surprised us by winning a stakes race at 1200 metres as a two-year-old in Brisbane. He then got flattened by running on that bad track [at Eagle Farm] and was probably a little over the top by the time he got to the JJ Atkins. After a short let-up Tangled could match the sprinters in the Run To The Rose before stepping up to a mile last Saturday. He is a strong horse and has come through that run last week very well and I have always thought the trip is going to suit him, Waller said. We would like to see him get a clean run at them in the straight to show what he can do. Tangled. Tangled is the $5.50 second favourite for the Spring Champion, behind $3.50 top pick Ace High, which was too strong in the Gloaming Stakes. - Chris Roots, SMH
WINX MORE RELAXED IN MELBOURNE THAN AT HOME AT ROSEHILL, SAYS HUGH BOWMAN Champion Winx has continued preparations for the Group One Turnbull Stakes with a gallop on the steeple grass at Flemington. Feted by a massive media pack, Winx breezed through her final piece of trackwork. Chasing her 21st successive win, Winx worked on the inside grass under race rider Hugh Bowman, pleasing trainer Chris Waller. She s in great shape and ready to go, Waller said. Today was about keeping her relaxed and not going too fast to make sure there s still plenty left in the tank. WINX and regular work rider Ben Cadden in Melbourne. Hugh is happy with Winx and the good thing is that she seems more relaxed here at Flemington. It s a natural environment for horses with a lot of space and she s happy here. With only a blue light on Bowman s helmet to distinguish her from hundreds of other lesser equines, Winx strolled through her work in leisurely fashion. To face only six rivals in the Group 1 $500,000 Turnbull, Winx will make her Flemington debut on Saturday. A TAB $1.15 favourite to extend her unbeaten run, Winx s every post-gallop movement today was followed by a huge throng of camera crews and photographers. Given the interest in the world s top-rated mare, the Victoria Racing Club expects a larger than normal crowd on Saturday. Bowman said the champion mare could not have settled into Melbourne better than she has. Winx feels good this morning she s settled into Melbourne nicely. She seems more relaxed than she was at home at Rosehill, he said. She went through her paces, she had a nice morning out and we re looking forward to Saturday. Bowman spoke in front of a huge media turnout at Flemington this morning, and when asked how he felt about the added attention that comes with being a champion s jockey, he said: (Pressure) has been part of this process for quite some time, I daresay this is just another week with Winx. This is a process that takes this course. It s another stepping stone to the Cox Plate. I don t really enjoy it the attention is something I ve become used to with her I think what she is doing for our sport is such a wonderful thing. The Turnbull Stakes is expected to be Winx s final lead-up to her attempt at a record-equalling third Cox Plate at Moonee Valley. - Leo Schlink, Herald Sun.
CHAMPION MARE WINX FAVOURITE FOR FLEMINGTON DEBUT Chris Waller is anticipating a tough challenge for champion mare Winx when she encounters two-time Group I winner Humidor for the first time in the Turnbull Stakes. Sydney s premier trainer takes on his Victorian counterpart Darren Weir when Winx races at Flemington for the first time on Saturday, and Waller was relishing the match-up. He obviously goes very well in Melbourne, he came up to Sydney and was probably a bit below his best, Waller said. Humidor finished second to Jameka in the Group I BMW, beaten six and a half lengths on a wet track at Rosehill in March, but he is building momentum in this preparation. Humidor was spelled after the BMW and is three runs into a campaign highlighted by a last-start win in the Group I Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 16. He s returned in great form and looks to be going to a new level. There s definitely a good challenge there, Waller said. He was expecting Winx to stretch out to 2000m with ease when tackling the trip for the first time since the Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes in April closed out her previous preparation. I don t know what her best distance is, but you don t over-analyse things with Winx, he said. Every scenario is different, she just adapts to it. The beauty of Winx is not that she s fast, not that she s brilliant, it s simply she adapts to different scenarios. Conditions, track conditions, different tracks, speeds of races... distances. A field of seven was finalised on Wednesday and Winx is the $1.15 favourite to extend her winning streak to 21.
Humidor ($4.60) is the second elect with the TAB. Winx had a track gallop at Flemington on Monday and Hugh Bowman returns to Melbourne on Thursday for a quiet work out. She s settled in well. She had a gallop on Monday in true Winx style, no problem. Hughie said she just attacked it. Waller said Egg Tart, who missed last Saturday s Group I Epsom Handicap due to an eye irritation, heads to Melbourne on Wednesday to line up in next weekend s Group I Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield. It would have been better to be in the Epsom but I m not denying Happy Clapper any glory, Waller said. He s probably the benchmark in handicap milers in Australia. Maybe we dodged a bullet. AAP WATCH An introduction to Umut, one of our Rosehill-based foremen who has been WINX s strapper from the start.
Darryl Sherer caught up with WINX and Umut at the Flemington stables one afternoon this week...
upcoming STABLE RUNNERS Click here to go to the website for more information on our stable runners. video preview Click on the image to the left to watch this week s video update with plenty of valuable insights into our runners this weekend from Charlie and Chris. CHECK OUT THE RACING.COM TEAM S COVERAGE OF WINX S FINAL WORKOUT THIS MORNING AT FLEMINGTON AHEAD OF THE TURNBULL ON SATURDAY. CLICK HERE
Performer celebrations. Black on Gold celebrations. Thanks to Bradley Photographers, Ross Stevenson and darryl sherer for our weekly photos. www.bradleyphotos.com.au
Jaminzah celebrations. Improvise celebrations. Thanks to Bradley Photographers, Ross Stevenson and darryl sherer for our weekly photos. www.bradleyphotos.com.au
Kaonic in full flight. Kaonic and Glenn. Hugh and Mark.
Waiheke and Gurbant. Wild About Her and Fabio. Tom Melbourne and Saul. Finn and All Roads. Shield Wall.
Graciousness. Follow Suit. Kookabaa and Pauline.