Waller Opens Up On Winx Phenomenon
18 April, 2018
Thoroughbred
Leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller has opened up about the nerves and anxiety he experiences every time prior to Winx starting, after she equalled Black Caviar’s record of 25 straight wins in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday.
Winx won the $4 million event for the second straight year on Saturday, where she defeated a star-studded field including Gailo Chop, Happy Clapper, and Humidor by almost three lengths.
Speaking on TABradio’s The Sports Daily, Waller said the pressure he felt in the build up to each of Winx’s starts was different to any other horse.
“She has gone beyond a racing horse, she is a public figure now,” he said.
“Once you’re there, you know you’ve done everything you possibly can.”
Although the nerves of preparing the wonder mare dissipate once she enters the barriers, Waller said the race itself would often feel like an eternity.
“During the race, it is something different again,” he said.
“You’re waiting for that last 300m where she is so effective.
“The first 1700m you just sit there motionless waiting for it to unfold.”
Before her winning sequence started, Winx recorded four wins and three second placings in her first 10 starts, before her breathtaking win in the Sunshine Coast Guineas started the record run.
Waller said he was fully prepared for the day when Winx is defeated.
“You’re always aware ‘today might be the day’, it’s a good field,” he said.
“I’ve thought about one day Winx is likely to be beaten, and how am I going to handle that.
“We prepare for it each race, and how you handle it if she’s not going to win.
“We know she’s not invincible.”
Waller also discussed how seriously connections thought about going to Royal Ascot for the Queen Anne Stakes.
“There was plenty of reasons to go, but there was even more not to go,” he said.
“If we were to go, there was nothing stopping us, except the unknown of the end.
“Does she go over there and get beaten and retire?
“I don’t think she deserves to go around too many more times after she gets beaten.”
Tim Walker
The Sports Daily’s interview with Waller can be heard in full below.