Chris Waller

25 Years ago, very few people had heard the name Chris Waller.  In 1998 the young Kiwi lad from Foxton took a mare on a journey to success at Wyong; the rest, as they say, is history.

These days, Chris Waller is best known as the trainer of incredible mare Winx, whose career he handled superbly. The pressure which he faced every time she raced, and every time a race was chosen for her, was huge, but he stood and assured in the eye of the storm, his dignity and composure matched only by his humility, courtesy and candor.

Like Winx, he is a credit to the sport, just as he has been ever since he arrived in Sydney as a complete unknown only a couple of decades ago.

Unlike so many who have made it to the top of the training tree, Waller, the son of a dairy farmer from Foxton, about 100km north of Wellington on New Zealand’s North Island, started out with neither family connections not money behind him.

Foxton might only have a population of about 3,000 but is has a racecourse and training track.  For many years it also had Paddy Busuttin, one of the leading trainers in the land and forever synonymous with the great gelding Castleton (NZ) One Found Stirling (IRE) whose 16 wins included the G1 NZ Derby in 1989, the G1 Wellington Cup in 1991, ’92 and ’94. The G1 Auckland Cup in 1992 and the G1 Caulfield S. in the same year. He was also placed in both the G1 Melbourne Cup and G1 Sydney Cup.