Nudge, nudge, Winx, Winx ... meet Chris Waller, practical joker
LONG before the colossus of Winx, trainer Chris Waller had built two formidable reputations. The first a master horseman, the second that of a practical joker.
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LONG before the Winx phenomenon, trainer Chris Waller had built two formidable reputations.
The more obvious was as a master horseman fanatical about organisational discipline and planning. The other was as a practical joker.
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Many of mild-mannered Waller’s pranks can’t be tastefully described, according to one of his occasional victims, Liam Prior.
Prior has served in Waller’s executive since 2009 and, as much as anybody at the stable, is aware of his employer’s personality extremes.
“Obviously he’s very professional, methodical, incredibly hardworking and dedicated,” Prior said. “But he’s also got a very good sense of humour. He’s not afraid to play jokes on people.
“Probably because he’s too busy, he hasn’t done it as much recently and that’s allowed us to get him back by playing a few jokes on him.”
No one knows how Waller reacted after he flew from Sydney to Melbourne recently and discovered one of his suitcases stuffed with 36 rolls of toilet paper, but Prior is certain vengeance won’t be far away.
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“Some of his practical jokes involve cups of coffee or bottles of water and things that should never be anywhere near coffee or water,” Prior said.
He said there were few surprises when the unlikely twin veneers of joker and master strategist were peeled away.
“We were talking about this the other day and discussing what makes a champion,” Prior said.
“Champions make sacrifices and do things that other people don’t. With the things they do and the way they are, champions are on a different level. And looking at Chris from afar, that’s what he is. He’s on a different level.”
Winx’s jockey Hugh Bowman said Waller was “very considered”.
“He looks at all options before making any decision,” Bowman said. “He is a very patient man, most of the time.
“He is a very deep thinker and he gives a lot of thought not only to Winx but also to his other horses.
“Having such a big stable, I think, helps him cope with the enormity of what is going on with her. It helps to divert his attention from the obvious.
“I think it is his attention to detail and his professionalism with his horses and his owners and his staff — they really enjoying working with him.”
Still impressively fit at 43, Waller was a rugby devotee growing up on a farm at Foxton on New Zealand’s north island. He dreamt of becoming an All Black but soon realised he wouldn’t make the cut.
Today he and his wife Stephanie and their two children live modestly in north-western Sydney. He is in bed by 8.30 most nights, up at 3.30am.
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Waller’s grandfather and uncle trained horses and eventually he found his way to Paddy Busuttin’s yard in Foxton. One of the first things Busuttin noticed was his notebook.
“He was very conscientious, very particular and meticulous, even from day one,” Busuttin said. “He’d have his notebook out of his pocket, taking things down. He was so intent on learning.”
Waller graduated to foreman for Busuttin and, when New Zealand racing went into a tailspin and Busuttin left for Singapore, Waller moved to Sydney in the late 1990s.
“I came across with no money and a credit card with about a 10-grand limit that was maxed out,” he once recalled. “I found an application for another one and maxed it out again.”
But he was relentlessly ambitious and, after weathering the impact of equine influenza and gradually built a business.
“He’s worked his way right from the bottom,” jockey Blake Shinn said. “There’s no real negatives about him, no chinks in his armour. He’s a very hard worker, beautiful person, great team around him, staff, family.
“I think he’s very loyal. People feed off that as well.
“He has a good understanding of how a race might unfold, but he gives you free rein to back your own judgment if things don’t unfold the way you might expect.
“He’s a good winner but being a good loser, for me, shows what kind of man he is.”
Damien Oliver spoke of Waller’s steadiness, saying a post-race spray if a ride has not gone to plan was rare.
“Don’t know about a spray so much, but you’re probably likely to be replaced,” Oliver said. “He’s more on the conservative side the way he likes his horses to be ridden.
“Like all good trainers, he’s got great attention to detail and he’s a very, very relaxed persona around his jockeys and horses.”
Kerrin McEvoy said Waller’s deliberate approach filtered through.
“Chris know it’s important to have your finger on the pulse when it comes to your horse and the way it needs to be trained throughout its preparation,” McEvoy said.
“The main thing is he’s very measured and level headed in his approach to it all. That’s important when you’re captain of a big boat.
“He’s dedicated and very measured to the way he plans a horse’s preparations. He seems to let the horse tell him when it’s ready to go to the races.”
Always deflective, Waller credited Winx for his extraordinary wave of success, not his own horsemanship.
“The beauty of Winx is that she makes our job easier — that’s what we see every day of the week with her,” he said.
“It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of her career. There’s an obligation that comes with training Winx, but her welfare is always first and foremost with us.
“She has a big reputation to protect and so we’re never going to take risks with that.”
For all of her achievements, Winx brings to her owners, jockeys and Waller a certain double-edged pressure understood by only a fortunate few.
Waller will able to relish her career only when it is over.
But sooner, rather than later, Prior and his accomplices can expect retribution.
leo.schlink@news.com.au
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