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What makes a champion? Trainer Chris Waller is a man who knows ahead of 2025 Golden Slipper Day

Winx. Nature Strip. Verry Elleegant. Now he has wonder mare Via Sistina and the Golden Slipper favourite in Wodeton. How does Chris Waller keep churning out the champions?

Ray Thomas
8 min read
March 20, 2025 - 2:57PM
Punters - Hold All Tickets Ep 28 - Group 1 smorgasbord

The hallway wall of Chris Waller’s Rosehill stable office is adorned with photos of the trainer’s Group 1 wins – all 175 of them!

“We have an amazing wall of all our Group 1 winners’ photos and I get to walk past them several times a day,’’ Waller said.

“I see their achievements and look at them each time I walk down the hallway. I’m very proud of it.’’

What strikes you when studying the photos is the many champions Waller has trained.

There’s the mighty Winx with photos of her world record 25 Group 1 wins. Nature Strip is there including his famous Royal Ascot win, Verry Elleegant has 11 photos in her honour, The Autumn Sun has five.

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Waller’s latest champion, Via Sistina, already has six photos with the promise of more to come.

Lady Shenandoah is still very early in her career but her photo was the latest to go on the wall after winning the Coolmore Classic last week. She already has three photos and who knows how many more Group 1 wins she could accumulate in the next couple of seasons?

So, the question was put to Waller: “How do you define a champion racehorse?”

This is an age-old debate, everyone has their opinion, including Waller.

“Historically to me, a champion racehorse is best described as one that performs at an elite level over a long period of time,’’ Waller said.

Waller then reflected on some of the great champions he has trained including the incomparable Winx, winner of 37 of her 43 starts, her last 33 races in succession including that world record 25 Group 1 wins.

“Obviously, Winx did it over a number of years and distances,’’ he said.

“Nature Strip also performed over a number of years and in both hemispheres. He has the ratings to back him up, as did Winx.

“Verry Elleegant won the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup, and she performed over a number of years and distances, too.

“The Autumn Sun was only beaten once and that was on a very wet track. He won Group 1 races as a two and three-year-old, and what he is doing at stud now is adding kudos to his name.

“There are a few others that I would consider outstanding individuals and in time will be remembered as champions.

“But each person has their thoughts on reaching the champion status. Some of the colts being retired so young probably holds a few others back from earning that status.’’

The quartet of Waller-trained champions also share another common trait – they won Group 1 races at Rosehill’s Golden Slipper meeting.

Winx won four successive George Ryder Stakes from 2016-19, Nature Strip won the 2019 The Galaxy, Verry Elleegant claimed the 2021 Ranvet Stakes and The Autumn Sun finished his career winning the 2019 Rosehill Guineas.

Waller is looking to add some more photos to his office wall at the Golden Slipper meeting at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

The champion trainer has a powerful Group 1 entry for Sydney’s signature race meeting on Saturday led by Via Sistina, the $1.40 TAB Fixed Odds favourite for the Group 1 $1 million Ranvet Stakes (2000m). She is joined by class stablemates Lindermann and imported mare Full Count Felicia.

  
  

Waller and Coolmore Stud are represented by long-time race favourite Wodeton ($4.60) in the $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m), and the outstanding Fangirl ($2.30 favourite) in the $1 million George Ryder Stakes (1500m).

Fangirl is joined by stablemates Buckaroo, Militarize and Kovalica in the Ryder, a race Waller has won a record seven times.

And Waller is giving the promising Aeliana her chance to become the first filly to win the Group 1 $750,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) for three-year-olds since Riverina Charm in 1989.

The Waller stable also has some very good chances at the top of betting in some of the support races on Slipper Day including unbeaten filly Autumn Glow ($1.80) in the Listed $200,000 Darby Munro Stakes (1200m), stablemates Mare Of Mt Buller ($3.50) and Hinged ($4.50) in the Group 3 $250,000 Epona Stakes (1900m), and Birdman ($3.50) in the Group 3 $250,000 Manion Cup (2400m).

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VIA SISTINA – RANVET STAKES

Waller publicly acknowledged Via Sistina’s champion status for the first time after she won the Group 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick two weeks ago.

But the mare had already earned racing’s ultimate accolade with her trainer during her dominant spring campaign last year when she won four of her five starts, all at Group 1 level – Winx Stakes (1400m), Turnbull Stakes (2000m), Cox Plate (2040m) and Champions Stakes (2000m).

“I don’t necessarily think it is one Cox Plate or one great season but in Via Sistina’s situation, she is quite unique,’’ Waller said.

“She ticks a lot of boxes in terms of having performed overseas at an elite level and at Group 1 level.

“Then, she brings that form down to the southern hemisphere and not only wins at Group 1 level but dominates at Group 1 level from 1400m to 2000m.’’

Waller said Via Sistina’s ability to win over a range of distances adds merit to the mare earning racing’s ultimate accolade of “champion”.

The Hall of Fame trainer cited Via Sistina’s Cox Plate win last spring when she won by eight lengths and broke the track record as evidence of her elite ability.

“Only a champion is able to do such a thing,’’ he said.

“Occasionally, you get a fluke performance but she won four Group 1 races last preparation.

“She didn’t just stop after the Cox Plate, she also won (Group 1 Champions Stakes) two weeks later.”

Via Sistina has returned to training this autumn and is back in Group 1 winning mode, taking out the Verry Elleegant Stakes last start.

Waller is chasing a fourth win in the Ranvet Stakes with either Via Sistina, Lindermann or Full Count Felicia. The trainer has won the race previously with Via Sistina last year, Verry Elleegant (2021) and Foreteller (2013).

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WODETON – GOLDEN SLIPPER

Wodeton has been the Golden Slipper favourite since his stunning debut win at Rosehill back in January.

Although the boom colt has been beaten in his two subsequent starts – third in the Silver Slipper and second in the Todman Stakes – he retains Golden Slipper favouritism after drawing ideally in barrier two.

“Wodeton has come through the Todman Stakes run really well,’’ Waller said.

“We are going to ride him more conservatively, we will go back and hold him up. I don’t think he needs to be driven forward.

“He likes to relax and has an amazing turn of foot if allowed to be ridden this way so we think we will take him back.

“If we treat him like a horse that relaxes and finishes off strongly, then you will see a devastating finish as a result.’’

Waller, who won the Golden Slipper for Coolmore with Shinzo in 2023, has always rated Wodeton as a Slipper contender because of his natural ability.

“Wodeton is a good-looking, well-bred colt and every rider who sits on him comes back with a glowing report – he’s just so different to most other horses,’’ the trainer said.

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FANGIRL – GEORGE RYDER STAKES

Fangirl might not be in the elite champion category but she is a mare Waller has a particular admiration given her ability to race well at the highest level for a number of seasons, and for overcoming serious injury.

Bred and raced by Debbie Kepitis of Winx fame, Fangirl ran second to Anamoe in the George Ryder in 2023 and was race favourite last year before she suffered a leg injury that forced out of the race.

“Fangirl is a horse that will be remembered in a similar vein,’’ Waller said.

“Unfortunately she missed a very important six month period due to injury last year. She was in a bad way so it’s great to have her back racing well and winning.

“She was favourite for the Ryder when the problem happened last year – she’s a pretty special horse to us.

“I think you could describe her as a champion for making it back on the track successfully.

“Certainly, she has beaten some very good horses and performed as a three, four, five and now six-year-old. Maybe her time is still to come.’’

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AUTUMN GLOW – DARBY MUNRO STAKES

No one is labelling Autumn Glow a champion – not yet anyway – but there is something freakish about the unbeaten three-year-old filly.

She won her three starts in her debut race preparation last spring including the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes and was a long odds-on favourite for the Group 1 Flight Stakes only to be withdrawn on race eve with injury.

In her absence, stablemate Lady Shenandoah streaked away to win by more than three lengths, the first of her three Group 1 wins this season.

Waller has a huge opinion of Autumn Glow’s ability and confirmed the filly would finally return to the races on Saturday.

“Autumn Glow has come back really well, she is an amazing athlete,’’ Waller said.

“She is potentially up there with some of the special horses we have trained. I’m looking forward to her return in the Darby Munro.

“She is going to have a very brief autumn which is frustrating considering how talented she is but it was the same with Joliestar last year when she had only one run in autumn as a three-year-old and won the Arrowfield Sprint.

“A horse’s career can be a long one if you look after them and don’t get tempted into over-racing them as a young horse.’’

Waller’s patience with Joliestar was rewarded earlier this month when the mare scored an outstanding win in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington.

Joliestar has returned to Waller’s Rosehill stables and will race next in the Group 1 $3 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 5.

“We think she deserves to continue down the sprinting path,’’ Waller said. “In my eyes, she is one of the best sprinters in Australia.’’

There has been speculation Joliestar could be set for England’s famous Royal Ascot carnival in June but Waller was noncommittal.

“She could potentially go to Royal Ascot but I doubt this year, I think it might be a bit early for her,’’ the trainer said.

“We are in no rush with her as we know she can get there in the future.’’

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THE HALLWAY WALL

Verry Elleegant wins the 2021 Melbourne Cup for jockey James McDonald and trainer Chris Waller. Picture: Vince Caligiuri / Getty Images
Verry Elleegant wins the 2021 Melbourne Cup for jockey James McDonald and trainer Chris Waller. Picture: Vince Caligiuri / Getty Images

Waller’s first major was with Triple Honour in the 2008 Doncaster Handicap and he’s been regularly adding more photos to the office hallway wall ever since.

“Our stable has set quite a high bar,’’ he said. “It has created an expectation to continue doing it, too.

“There is a lot of pressure that we as a stable put on ourselves and I have to learn to deal with that a little bit better.

“I guess it is not easy for a ‘coach’ once the bar is set to keep performing at that level every year, or every six months, or every carnival, or every week.’’

But there’s every likelihood Waller will be commissioning more photos of Group 1 winners after Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. He’s going to run out of room on that hallway wall very soon.

Originally published as What makes a champion? Trainer Chris Waller is a man who knows ahead of 2025 Golden Slipper Day

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Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/sport/racing/what-makes-a-champion-trainer-chris-waller-is-a-man-who-knows-ahead-of-2025-golden-slipper-day/news-story/01e31400e166d65aa2e60e8ad0e8a22e