The 37-year-old celebrated being crowned Sydney’s premiership-winning trainer for the first time by dominating the final metropolitan meeting of the season at Rosehill on Saturday with four winners including the feature Winter Challenge with Foreteller.
Joined at Rosehill by his parents and wife Stephanie’s parents as well as his 21-month old son Tyler, Waller ended his season of milestones in style.
Brayroan winning the Southern Sheet & Coil Handicap - Photo by Steve Hart
Foreteller put the icing on the cake when he swept down the outside and strode away with the $100,000 Winter Challenge (1500m) after stablemates Altius, Mikiyama and Brayroan had already won at the meeting.
“We’ve had a great day and there’s been plenty of them this season,” Waller said.
Foreteller’s Winter Challenge win was the 117th Sydney metropolitan winner for Waller this season and his stable runners prizemoney earnings for the season crashed through the $9 million mark.
The imported Foreteller ($5) showed he can be a spring carnival player with a dominant fresh performance to win by 2-3/4 lengths over Scarf ($3.60) with the Waller-trained Bellagio Wynn ($101) hitting the line well for third.
“He’s a good horse,” Waller said.
“He had two trials to get him ready for this and his class took him a long way.
“To see him do that suggests he’s probably going to win better races.”
Waller’s 2010/11 highlights included becoming just the fifth trainer to prepare 100 or more metropolitan winners in a season in Sydney.
He also prepared four Group One winners during the Sydney autumn carnival.
His wife was a proud onlooker at Rosehill with young Tyler also spending his first day at the races.
“I can’t believe it,” Stephanie Waller said.
“I don’t think we even dreamt about it because it wasn’t possible. But it is now.
“Both sets of parents have come from New Zealand to be here today.
“It all starts again after this weekend.”
Waller started the day with a 22-1/2-win lead over last year’s premiership winner Peter Snowden and extended the winning margin throughout the final day.
Altius took the pressure off Waller early with a strong win in the opening race and Foreteller brought up a winning double for Damien Oliver who earlier rode the Waller-trained Mikiyama to victory.
Apprentice Jason Collett won on Brayroan at his final meeting before heading back to New Zealand.
Snowden had nothing but praise for Waller’s achievements this season.
“He’s done a tremendous job and I take my hat off to him,” Snowden said.
“He has built himself up and built up his clientele and deserves all the credit he gets. It takes a lot of work and he’s been going for 10 years since he’s been here and that’s how long it’s taken. Now the hard job is to stay there.”
AAP TURF
