October
AprilToo cynical by half
Cynical Will (18/4) suggests Chris Waller has done little to improve some of the top horses with which he’s had success this season.
One of those he names as an example is Nature Strip. And yes, Nature Strip had shown “above-average ability” when trained by Robert Smerdon, Robert Hickmott, John Sadler and Darren Weir. But he also was building a name for himself as a speedy squib, and had finished eighth as an odds-on favourite in his only attempt at Group 1 level.
In Waller’s care Nature Strip has become a four-time Group 1 winner, undoubtedly Australia’s champion sprinter of 2019/20 and probably horse of the year.
He won the biggest sprint of the Melbourne spring and the biggest sprint of the Sydney autumn by a combined 5¼ lengths, one on a good track and one on heavy.
As for Waller’s strike rate, it’s true that it is lower than those of many rivals. Why? Because Waller looks after his owners by running their horses in races so they can earn prizmoney, even if it’s minor money.
Trainers whose first priority is to look after their strike rates tend to train “trial champions” who rarely get to the races. I know who I’d rather have a horse with.
Castlemaine (Vic)