By Patrick Bartley
Despite having another spectacular autumn carnival and gaining the approval and support of owners and breeders worldwide, Chris Waller is intent on not expanding his already strong operations in Sydney and Melbourne, maintaining a training operation can just get too big.
Waller, who has enjoyed remarkable success with arguably the world's finest race mare Winx and other significant races in the past eight weeks, believes that his training brand would suffer if he took any more horses into his already powerful training regime.
The trainer said his autumn carnival was "very, very good, but if we could have won the Sydney Cup it would have been an even greater one".
No expansion plans: Champion trainer Chris Waller is happy with the number of horses he has in his stable.Credit: Janie Barrett
"As far as the autumn goes, it was great. Perhaps if we didn't have our pants pulled down by Lloyd Williams' horse in the Sydney Cup, it could even have been better.
"But we are extremely happy with the results we got and for me I hope to take two or three days off and unwind," Waller said.
The former New Zealander believes his rise to the top of the training ranks in Australia could come at a cost if he continues to take in horses to train. "I know that it's in every horse trainer's DNA to never knock back a horse, but I'm getting that way," he said. "It's not easy but I'm here to say I don't want a stable of 500 horses. Instead of that, I want some sort of life.
"Like going to the pub with my mates on a Friday night and having a beer or spending a day with the family. We have a big business, a huge business, a time-consuming business, but I'm now seeing that there is so much more to life."
At 42, Waller has taken horse racing in this country by storm. He smashed premiership-winning margin records and has a dominant position in Sydney racing. It seems if an owner wants a change of trainer, Waller is the first door that is knocked on.
"People ask me my numbers and if they'd care to check them out they're welcome to. However, the absolute truth is I'll work 140 horses at Rosehill next Monday, 20 at Warwick Farm and another 25 in Melbourne – that's 185 and that, I think, is the ceiling I have ever wanted to reach.
"I just don't think the business can cope with more and more numbers. Something's got to give. You know I haven't been home to New Zealand for so long. Sure, my parents come out and visit me but all of those long-term friends I have had back home - and a few, tragically, have died - I've just lost touch with.
"We know racing is all-encompassing but it's important to find that bit of relief, that bit of time away and it certainly can't hurt your training strategies."
At Randwick on Saturday, Press Statement and Kermadec will represent Waller in the All Aged Stakes, a race he believes suits both horses.
"He's [Press Statement] right there, he's a terrific chance. But once the All Aged Stakes day is gone so will I be for three days, just to recharge the batteries and then head into another spring carnival in Melbourne and Sydney."
Waller has a number of runners at Randwick and he'll be represented in Melbourne at Caulfield by quality sprinter French Emotion.
"She's done very well since she arrived in Melbourne. This will be her sixth start this preparation so I'd imagine she'll go to the paddock instead of any thoughts of her going to Brisbane. But the race is worth $150,000 and you certainly can't look away at money like that," Waller said.
And with a nice strong team in both states, a happy staff and probably some new friends to drink with on a Friday night at the pub, having Australia's best race mare primed for another Cox Plate won't be the only thing Waller has to smile about.