Waller to use Sydney strategy in Melbourne

Sunday 23 December 2012, 4:14pm

Chris Waller wants to adopt a low-key approach to his first months as a two-state trainer despite plans for a Flemington stable to be up and running during the Melbourne autumn carnival.

Waller, who has a commanding lead in his quest for a third straight Sydney premiership, is poised to become a familiar figure in Victorian racing after the Victoria Racing Club granted the Rosehill trainer a lease on 10 boxes at Flemington racecourse.

But because of yearling sales commitments in Australia and New Zealand during the next month, Waller will delay the opening of his satellite stable until February.

The biggest races of the Melbourne carnival are run during February and early March but Waller's arrival on the Victorian scene will not equate to additional runners for the sake of it during that time.

Ironically, he says the first benefit of having a Melbourne stable will come during the main part of the Sydney autumn carnival.

"Our normal Saturday-class horses have to race at the midweeks here in Sydney because there's only Listed and Group races on during the carnival," Waller told AAP.

"So instead of racing them midweek in Sydney, I'll send them to Melbourne to race while the Sydney carnival is on."

During the past decade, Waller has risen to the top of Sydney racing on the back of astute overseas buys and a formidable work ethic.

Waller trained another two winners at Saturday's Villiers Stakes meeting in Sydney and is more than 40 in front of Gai Waterhouse as he sets his sights on breaking the Sydney premiership record of 156.

Waterhouse's father Tommy Smith posted the standard in 1975-76 and she equalled the feat in the 2002-03 season.

Staying on target to break that record will also ensure Waller doesn't lose focus on a Sydney operation which will be replicated in Melbourne.

"For our Melbourne stable we'll be copying everything we do in Sydney so everything is exactly the same," he said.

"Everything's got to be the same ... that's our system.

"I know its downfalls and I know its positives so there is less risk and it works easier for the staff.

"Our system is designed to help horses race consistently which can be a hard thing for a big stable to achieve."

Waller says getting used to the idiosyncrasies of Melbourne racing will be important to the initial, and long-term success of his new venture.

"It's going to be a matter of knowing what style of horse is needed," he said.

"We've got them here (in the Sydney stable) but I've got to work out which ones they are."

A Melbourne operation will also save Waller making a sometimes difficult decision to send two winning chances out in the same race.

"If I've got two horses that I legitimately think can win and if there is the right race In Melbourne, I'll be sending one to be Melbourne," he said.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »