Industrious Rosehill-based trainer Chris Waller may have failed to declare it as yet, but after scoring a quartet of wins to add to his illustrious record for the season last Saturday at Rosehill, he has almost definitely won his maiden Sydney Trainer’s Premiership.
Chris Waller enjoyed four wins at Rosehill last Saturday taking his tally to 107 for the season to date in Sydney
After becoming just the fifth trainer in history along with the late great Tommy Smith, Brian Mayfield-Smith, Gai Waterhouse and John Hawkes to prepare 100 or more Sydney city winners in a single season, Waller added four more to his tally that now stands at 107.
This is 22 ½ winners clear of his closest rival Peter Snowden, and with just eight meetings left to run for the season, Chris Waller surely has it in the bag.
“That’s not for me to say, that’s for others to say,” the ever-modest Waller said when asked what he thought of winning the premiership crown on Saturday.
“All I will say is that we have had a brilliant day today.
“We have good staff and good owners and to win for races is a reward for all the hard work everyone puts in.
“I certainly didn’t come here thinking we would win for races.
“I knew we had some good chances today but we didn’t have any superstars racing and that is reflected in the prices of our winners.”
His home track at Rosehill again proved a happy hunting ground for former New Zealander Waller, whose biggest win last Saturday was with Little Surfer Girl in the $100,000 Listed Civic Stakes (1400m).
An eleventh-hour nomination for the Civic Stakes, an impeccably-bred daughter of Encosta De Lago from triple Group 1 winner Special Harmony, Little Surfer Girl ($6) displayed her devastating turn of foot to become a six time winner with her one and a quarter length win over Madibagold in the Civic Stakes.
Onthelookout finished just a nose away third in a fast finishing effort while the Joseph Pride-trained favourite Title was the flop of the race crossing over three lengths away from the winner in fourth.
“She was a late nomination and wasn’t going to run until Tuesday,” Waller said of Little Surfer Girl.
“She came through her win last week, so well I looked at the race and it looked right for her.
“I’m always looking for opportunities like that and it is good when the horses step up.”
Having attracted a hefty $1.5 million as a yearling from owners Ingham Racing, Little Surfer Girl has failed to live up to her pedigree or purchase price to date, but her second career stakes win in the Civic Stakes has increased her value as a future broodmare.
Waller’s other wins at Rosehill on Saturday were with Rain Melody ($6) in the $70,000 Lynch Flowers BM 80 Handicap (1200m), Wazan ($3.80F) in the $70,000 Gaypak Unilted BM 80 Handicap (2000m) and Mutawarath ($17) in the $70,000 Sydney Banana Wholesalers Handicap (1400m).
Despite such a successful 2010-11 season, Waller was reluctant to identify any stand outs from his stable for the spring, saying that instead of targeting the major races with one or two he was happy watching the natural progression through the ranks of his thoroughbreds.
“There are a lot of horses there that need to take the next step,” he said
“We are a Sydney operation but will be travelling a bit more.
“However, our aim is to keep having winners on Saturdays.
“I have a system in place and it is working.”
