‘Racing’s a rollercoaster, but he never changes’: 2024 Melbourne Cup trainer Chris Waller adopts team-first ethos

Chris Waller sees himself as a coach, promoter and sporting devotee … but it wasn’t always that way for the champion trainer who’s taken all before him in the past two decades.

Champion trainer Chris Waller talks of caring for the horse and about longevity with Via Sistina in the same way he used to with his mighty mare, Winx.

There was also a similar debate about the Melbourne Cup when Winx dominated Australian racing and reeled off four successive Cox Plate triumphs from 2015-18.

Most years, Waller was asked about whether he would run Winx in the Cup but although the trainer always says he believes she could have won the race, he never trained her for the gruelling 3200m.

So, Waller has never had any regrets about not starting Winx in a Melbourne Cup, it was all about the mare’s welfare and longevity.

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Winx rewarded Waller and her owners with 33 consecutive wins including 25 at Group 1 level during an incredible four-year period to close out her career.

Via Sistina is already a seven-year-old mare so she won’t be around for as long but there is every chance she will race next season and Waller wants to give her every opportunity to continue to perform at the top level.

So, why are Waller’s strong contingent of Cup runners on Tuesday – early favourite Buckaroo, Land Legend, Kovalica, Manzoice and Valiant King – any different to Via Sistina, or even Winx for that matter?

🏆 Via Sistina v Winx 🏆

Their two Cox Plate track records side-by-side is incredible viewing 🙌 pic.twitter.com/1xvBXt39xY

— Racing.com (@Racing) October 26, 2024

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Well, these are the “10,000m athletes” the trainer often refers to, true stayers who have been set for the Melbourne Cup.

Waller often uses sporting analogies when talking about his horses. Outside of the racing bubble, which can be all consuming particularly during Cup week, the trainer enjoys watching live sport. It’s his escape from the relentless pressure of his job.

Waller revealed he has two televisions in his office, one on the racing channel and the other on Fox Sports News – unless he switches over to some live sport.

A big NRL fan, Waller regularly watches Friday and Saturday night games during the footy season: “I feel a bit lost without the footy now,’’ he said.

“I enjoy watching live sport – anywhere. I like American sports, I’m a Yankees fan. I just love my sport, that’s my release.’’

His wife, Stephanie, joined the conversation with a slightly different take.

“I’m not sure when he gets the chance to watch any ‘live’ sport,’’ she said.

“The other day he came home and watched a replay of the All Blacks game. He didn’t want to know the score.

“Then, when that was finished, he watched a replay of another footy game.’’

Waller often refers to himself as a “coach” trying to get the best out of his racehorses just as a footy coach does with his players.

“I like watching how coaches in other sports go about their job,’’ he said.

“I like to see how they handle various situations, how they handle winning and losing, and how they handle the media.’’

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RACING PROMOTER

Waller is extremely accommodating to the media despite the obvious time pressures he is under every day.

He’s conscious of doing his best to promote racing, aware the sport faces many challenges for the gambling dollar and also from animal welfare groups and the anti-racing lobby.

“Although the media might take up a bit of time now, it was pretty lonely when I first started out and they didn’t want to know you,’’ he quipped.

Waller said he has been fortunate to meet many leading coaches from various sports over the years and has tried to glean something from all of them.

“I embrace new ideas and ways to bring new things to our sport,’’ he said.

“There could be some different training techniques, or new ways to prepare for a big race or game.’’

Interestingly, Waller’s champion sprinter Nature Strip, who won nine Group 1 races including three TJ Smith Stakes and scored a famous win in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot, was part-owned by former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.

Never forget Nature Strip's run in the King's Stand Stakes 👑

Watch the coverage from Royal Ascot this week on https://t.co/Ga3GHub8Ah 📺 pic.twitter.com/45qPQ1nBdN

— Racing.com (@Racing) June 17, 2024

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Waller said he held many conversations with the 2015 World Cup-winning coach about various scenarios in sports.

“Steve is great to talk to,’’ Waller said. “He is a bit of a traditionalist, he respected the position he had with the All Blacks and he instilled that in his players, to respect the jersey they pulled on.

“He is all about confidence and keeping things simple. He is all about not getting caught up in the moment, or being worried about defeat.

“Nature Strip was a superior racehorse but he got beaten, he didn’t win every time.

“What Steve has taught me is not to divert from what works, to back myself and have trust in your systems.’’

Waller’s “systems” have been phenomenally successful. When he first arrived in Sydney in 2000, he had no horses, no stables and no money, but has since emerged as one of the greatest trainers in Australian racing history.

He has prepared more than 4300 winners from his Rosehill stable base including 168 at Group 1 level to be third on the all-time list behind legends Tommy Smith and Bart Cummings with 246 wins each.

Waller has prepared the winners of virtually every major Australian race including the Melbourne Cup with Verry Elleegant in 2021.

The Winner of the Lexus Melbourne Cup is Verry Elleegaant #CupWeekon10#MelbourneCuppic.twitter.com/8JeMKnp2Yb

— 10 Sport (@10SportAU) November 2, 2021

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The Covid-19 pandemic meant Waller could not be at Flemington to watch his mare win, instead he enjoyed the moment with his wife, and their two children, Tyler and Nikita, at their family home in northwestern Sydney.

This remains a special memory for the trainer, realising a lifelong ambition and sharing it with those that mean the most to him.

But Waller will be at Flemington on Tuesday as he chases a second win in the race that stops a nation.

The trainer’s best chance is Buckaroo, the Melbourne Cup favourite, who has been in career-best form this spring, winning the Group 1 Underwood Stakes and finishing second in the Caulfield Cup.

Land Legend ran third in the Caulfield Cup after winning the Group 1 The Metropolitan, and Kovalica finished sixth in the Cox Plate. Manzoice won the Victoria Derby two years ago, Valiant King was ninth in the Caulfield Cup, Francesco Guardi ran sixth in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup, and Kinesiology is the promising former Irish stayer about to make his Australian debut.

“Buckaroo is the form horse,’’ Waller said. “He has come through his Caulfield Cup run really well.

“We took Land Legend to Bendigo for a gallop during the week to knock a bit of freshness out of him.

“Kovalica has to run two miles but we know Valiant King will stay. Manzoice is a bit out of form but this is the Melbourne Cup and sometimes you have to take your chances.”

Trainer Chris Waller. Picture: Vince Caligiuri / Getty Images

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It’s another strong team of Melbourne Cup contenders for Waller who came close to winning the race again last year, preparing the minor placegetters Soulcombe and Sheraz behind Without A Fight.

They say in racing it’s not where you start, but where you finish, which certainly applies to Waller’s Melbourne Cup journey.

Waller’s first Melbourne Cup experience was with Warringah in 2009. He ran 50 lengths last!

“I remember leaving Flemington that day and thinking the Melbourne Cup was a long way out of my reach,’’ he said.

“But the first time I thought we could win it was when Kellini ran fourth in 2012. We were getting closer and we eventually got there with Verry Elleegant (2021).’’

Waller’s success can be attributed to many things. His work ethic, attention to detail, horsemanship, calm demeanour, perhaps a combination of all of these factors, and more.

Chris and Stephanie Waller. Picture: Mark Evans / Getty Images

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Stephanie Waller says despite her husband’s extraordinary achievements on the racetrack, he has never changed. He remains the same person as the young trainer struggling to eke out a living all those years ago.

“Chris still gets up at 3am every day and works all day,’’ she said. “I don’t know how he does it but he makes time for everyone.

“Racing’s a roller-coaster, you have your ups and downs, but he never changes.

“He’s just a really good person and when he gets home at night, he’s just your normal husband and father.’’

When asked to sum up his Melbourne Cup chances, the reply was quintessential Waller.

“We don’t set ourselves up to think about it too much,’’ he said. “We just hope for the best and hope our horses come home safe.’’

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

NO VIA SISTINA

There is a widespread view that if Via Sistina ran in the Melbourne Cup she would win easily.

But Via Sistina will be in her stable box when the Cup field leaves the barriers at famous Flemington at 3pm on Tuesday.

For those once-a-year punters trying to settle on a horse to back in the great race, perhaps it would have been much simpler if trainer Chris Waller chose to start his runaway Cox Plate-winning mare in the race that stops a nation.

Via Sistina won the Cox Plate by eight lengths, smashing the track record previously held by the great Winx by nearly two seconds. Tuesday’s Cup is not the strongest field and Waller’s in-form mare stood out as the one to beat.

The reason Waller decided not to start Via Sistina and potentially sacrifice a Melbourne Cup win says a lot about the trainer and the man.

Trainer Chris Waller and jockey James McDonald with connections of Via Sistina following her Cox Plate demolition. Picture: George Sal / Racing Photos

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“I liken it a bit to a 1500m runner being expected to run 10,000m – it’s a completely different set-up,’’ Waller said.

“If it was a slowly run Melbourne Cup then Via Sistina might be well suited but usually the Cup is a tough, 3200m race.

“We are certainly not questioning her brilliance, we are not questioning whether she could win the race, either.

“But we are just happy to stick with where we are at with Via Sistina. She has one of the highest ratings in the world for a 2000m horse.

“There are other options for her we are looking forward to (Champions Stakes at Flemington next Saturday) but right now we are happy to enjoy her Cox Plate win.’’

Waller came to the decision to bypass the Melbourne Cup with Via Sistina in concert with the mare’s owners, Yulong Investments.

The Hall of Fame trainer, who won the 2021 Melbourne Cup with Verry Elleegant, and will still be well represented in the great race on Tuesday including the early favourite Buckaroo, maintains it is the right decision not to run Via Sistina.

“Once the decision is made, you feel a lot more comfortable about it,’’ Waller said.

“Yulong are great to work with, they respect this mare and are grateful to have her. There’s no regrets about not starting her in the Melbourne Cup.’’

Originally published as ‘Racing’s a rollercoaster, but he never changes’: 2024 Melbourne Cup trainer Chris Waller adopts team-first ethos