chris waller
Waller’s way
Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller talks to Darryl Sherer about moving from New Zealand to train in Australia and buying horses in England
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n a relatively short space of time, Chris Waller has become something of a phenomenon. Racing in Australia has always had its major names among the training ranks. Many have become household names. Mention “Bart” and it’s a fair bet that most people will reply “Cummings”. In Sydney the name most know is Smith, the legendary T.J. winning the Sydney training premiership for an unprecedented 33 years in succession. And, while his daughter Gai established her own little run of titles, much to the chagrin of Sydneysiders, the current holder is a New Zealander. Not that there is any bitterness for, in the grand tradition of Australian’s claiming success as their own, Waller is now very much considered “Australian”, or “Sydney”, to be more precise. The Rosehill-based Kiwi horseman became the first trainer to win the prestigious Bart Cummings Medal for overall excellence at the recent NSW Racehorse Owners Association’s annual night of champions. His trademark white bridles and black and white check colours are now instantly recognisable of Sydney racetracks and, in a town that prides itself on being hard to conquer, Waller’s accension to the throne has been smooth and accepted. Like so many things in racing, the career of Chris Waller owes itself to an element of chance. Having begun his time in the industry with Foxtonbased trainer Paddy Busuttin, Waller rose to become travelling foreman and brought Castletown to Australia for
the 1992 Melbourne Cup. The horse ran third and the experience whetted Waller’ appetite. Returning to New Zealand and setting up on his own when Busuttin left to train in Singapore, Waller made a trip to Sydney in 1998 with just one horse. Party Belle was her name and the rest, as the well worn cliche goes, is history. Waller continued to train at Foxton and make regular visits to Sydney. He kept winning races and soon came to the notice of owners, so much so that he made the permanent move to Sydney in to establish a stable at Rosehill. He had four horses. Five seasons
later and with a champion trainer’s title to his name there are more than 100 horses in work. And he still keeps winning. Waller’s rise to the top of the training tree in Sydney has been meteoric. On Golden Slipper day in 2007, the biggest day of racing Chris Waller (left)
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