Chris Waller, trainer of legendary mare Winx, enjoying life after her farewell: ‘She was pretty draining’

Chris Waller has plenty more winners to saddle up now he’s free from the pressure of preserving the legacy of his famous mare Winx, but life’s good for the premier trainer, writes Ray Thomas.

Chris Waller conceded he would have felt personally responsible if Winx had not retired with her winning streak intact.

Sydney’s premier trainer has had a stellar season but what mattered to him most was for Winx to win her farewell race, Queen Elizabeth Stakes, during the autumn carnival.

“Winx had to win otherwise I would have felt I had let her down and everybody else down with it,’’ Waller said.

“The most important race by far this season was her last win. I don’t think the job would have been complete if she had not won.

“I didn’t want her to be remembered for a last start loss. When she won, it was a hell of a relief.’’

Winx did race into retirement with her 33rd consecutive win, capping an extraordinary 2018-19 season for Waller.

The Hall of Fame trainer has re-written the racing history (again) including:

# National record of 18 Group 1 wins

# His stable runners have amassed an all-time high of $43.4 million prizemoney.

# Claims the national premiership and needs just five more wins to break his personal best of 337.5 wins set last year.

# Wins his ninth consecutive Sydney trainers premiership.

# Becomes just the seventh trainer to prepare 100 Group 1 winners in a career.

# Winx won the World’s Best Racehorse title.

It’s a revealing insight into the crushing burden of expectation and pressure Waller was under with Winx that he admits since the great mare’s retirement the trainer is enjoying his racing again.

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Chris Waller says the pressure of maintaining Winx’s winning streak was overpowering.

He’s free of the constant pressure, persistent media demands and scrutiny that comes with preparing one of the all-time great racehorses and protecting that famous winning streak.

“I’m so happy going to the races at the moment without the pressure,’’ Waller said.

“As much as it was an absolute privilege to train such a great racehorse like Winx, since she has been retired I’ve realised even more so how much pressure we were under.

“My thoughts were consumed by Winx. She was pretty draining because I was thinking of her day in and day out.

“We got through it and still managed to keep up a high standard for the stable.’’

Over the last four years, Waller could bank on Winx winning five or six Group 1 races and earning $5 million prizemoney.

With the new season starting next week, Waller doesn’t have that luxury any more. Winx might leave a massive void in the stable but Waller has been re-energised by the challenge.

The champion trainer recalls the 2014-15 season when he prepared the winners of 14 Group 1 races from 13 individual horses.

“I clearly remember we had a great group of older horses that season while Winx was only just beginning her rise and won the Queensland Oaks,’’ he said.

“When I was first starting out, I had to make a name for myself with unknown horses, not the best bred horses.

Winx strappers Candice Persijn (left) and Umut Odemislioglu (right) with Chris Waller and Winx.

“Now, I’m lucky enough to work with some of the best bred horses in the country and for some of the bigger studs I wasn’t training for a few years ago.

“We have some great owners on board and a lot of new horses coming through that really excite me.

“We have a good system we have full confidence in so we are not going to change anything. We will let them show their talent and look after them. We know our system works so I’m looking forward to the new season.’’

But Waller will be keen to cap his extraordinary 2018-19 with more success on the final Sydney Saturday meeting of the season.

He has 11 runners across five races including Eckstein and Seaway in the Listed $150,000 Winter Challenge (1500m).

Eckstein, a last start winner of the Winter Stakes, is competing for the last time before she is retired to stud. She has a date with unbeaten US triple crown champion Justify at Coolmore Stud this spring breeding season.

“I think Eckstein is open for improvement by way of a better barrier,’’ Waller said after the mare drew gate five.

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Winx a day after her historic final win at Randwick in April.

“Blake (Shinn) rode her very well last start but she drew wide that day (13) and did have to cover a bit of extra ground on a wet track.

“The better barrier and better (drier) track can off-set the extra weight she has to carry.’’

Hugh Bowman is the new rider for Eckstein while Tommy Berry rides Seaway (barrier 11).

In early TAB Fixed Odds betting, Eckstein is the $4.80 while Seaway is at $7.50.

Waller’s promising colt True Detective has opened $1.70 favourite to win the final two-year-old race of the season, the ASX Refinitiv Charity Foundation Handicap (1200m). Stablemates Lucicello and Iskander are also in the field.

True Detective is a contender for the good three-year-old races in the new season on the back of promising efforts at his two starts, a debut win at Rosehill back in February before he was ambushed late by Spend when resuming at this track two weeks ago.

Champion Australian mare Winx takes out the George Ryder Stakes in her second last race.

Tommy Berry had ridden True Detective on debut and noted the colt had a tendency to “wait” for his rivals when he hit the front and used that experience to his advantage on Spend last start.

“By having that knowledge from riding True Detective before, Tommy knew how to beat us,’’ Waller said.

“The winner is a promising horse but so is True Detective. He will keep improving with racing.’’

Waller’s other runners on Saturday are Gresham and Fortensky in the Pro It Handicap (1350m), stayers Raqeeq, Jake’s Hill and Makdanife in the Robb Report Handicap (2400m) and Seles contests the Next Telecom Handicap (1400m).