RNSW_Oct 21_Col_W

www.racingnsw.com.au PEOPLE 12 PREMIER TRAINER CHRIS WALLER HAS, RELUCTANTLY, MOVED ON FROM CHAMPION MARE WINX BUT HE & HIS TEAM STILL HAVE THAT STEELY DETERMINATION TO ENSURE THEIR HORSES PERFORM AT THEIR TOP WORDS: RAY HICKSON PICTURES: BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHERS “I t was interesting when she retired.” She, of course, is Winx. For as long as he lives Chris Waller will be inexorably linked with the champion mare. That’s an amazing thing for any trainer. But it did make Waller sit back and evaluate things. When you’ve been responsible for the career of a legend it surely must make you wonder what comes next. If the 11-time Sydney champion trainer ever did ponder that question the answer won’t surprise anybody – the machine will roll on. “I was never at the crossroads, there was a sense of relief but at the same time I knew we couldn’t relax,” Waller said. “Straight away we won an Everest and a lot of Group One races with new horses so that’s been very rewarding. “The beauty of Australian racing is that 52 weeks a year the level of competition is outstanding, so it keeps you focused, it keeps the next champions coming through the stable. “The desire is still there to keep finding good horses and keeping a high level of excellence.” Those comments quickly tell you that for all he’s achieved in the space of a couple of decades, Chris Waller has no intention of slowing down or winding back. You could forgive anyone with the spotlight on them for so long for wanting to retreat a little but at the end of the day racing is a business as much as it is a passion. And Waller is a stickler for planning, for having effective systems in place in his stables and for knowing what he wants. “Your thoughts change every couple of years and you never really know what lies ahead. “I just want to keep doing the best I can for as long as I can. I enjoy having good people around me and while I have good people around me who are enjoying what they are doing, that’s as important as anything. WALLER machine glides along smoothly Chris Waller, Hugh Bowman and Winx take a bow after the great mare’s final start at Royal Randwick