There was no happier man at Cranbourne on Sunday than Sale trainer Wayne Walters after stable stalwart Brigadier broke a frustrating run of 139 outs for the veteran trainer when successful in the Joseph Frazer BM70 Handicap (2080m).
On the quick back-up from the Sale meeting three days earlier, Brigadier ($8) led all the way under the trainer’s daughter Kate, narrowly holding off a spirited challenge from favourite Rube Bridges ($2.60), with Eckhart ($3.50) third.
Brigadier, a seven-year-old gelding by Commands, has been a consistent money spinner for his New Zealand-based owners, the Smithies family. He now has seven wins and 23 placings from 69 trips to the races, accumulating a very healthy $234,238.
Walters hadn’t tasted success since Lady Annabel saluted at Sale on January 20, enduring 11 seconds and 10 thirds in that time.
Sunday’s win made a great start to the season for the expat Kiwi, who moved to Australia in the 1970s, and has operated stables at Hamilton, Tatura, Seymour and Mount Gambier. 
Walters moved into stables on course at Sale in February 2018 and trained 13 winners in his first six months.
The highlight was three city wins to stable star Choysa, before illness claimed the life of the front-running Zabeel gelding. 
Walters finished the 2017/18 season with a decade-high 31 wins from 331 starters and had cause to be excited about the future for his team of 30-plus gallopers. 
Season 2018/19, however, wasn’t kind to Walters, producing three winners from 238 runners as well as a series of clashes with officials and employees of the Sale Turf Club.
The best galloper Walters has trained was the great Torbek, who won 23 races including the Toorak Handicap, Marlboro Cup (now Rupert Clarke Stakes), St George Stakes and C.F. Orr Stakes. 
Walters also trained Boldness, who ran fourth in the 1978 Melbourne Cup, and top horses Cobra and Astrolin.
Olly gets best from Breaker
Pakenham hobby trainer Ernie Francese might only have one horse in work, but he’s a ripper. 
The Francese-trained Breaker of Chains returned to his best at Geelong last Friday with an impressive win in the Map Wealth BM64 Handicap (1130m).
Breaker of Chains ($3.50 favourite) was confidently ridden just off the speed by champion jockey Damien Oliver, holding off Carwelkin ($10) by a length with a gap to Miss Markle ($16).
Since joining the Francese yard in April 2018, Breaker of Chains had been ridden solely by claiming apprentices in his 17 assignments prior to Friday. 
Frustrated by the six-year-old Good Journey gelding ’s recent lack of luck in running and hit-or-miss barrier manners, Francese decided it was time to engage a senior rider.
He was rightly delighted with the outcome.
"It was great to get Damien aboard,” he said. “It was a great ride — 100 per cent. Great to see everything go right today.
“It was marvellous to see him come out cleanly and settle with his head down. I knew then we’d see the real Breaker of Chains.” 
Francese, 66, inherited the training bug from his father, who was training a small team of horses in Gippsland before Ernie was born. 
Francese trained at Ballarat and Geelong before moving to Pakenham.
Oliver was pleased that Francese had decided to go with a senior rider.
“He’s certainly a big, strong horse. I could see how he could be tricky.
“He jumped clean and gave me a good ride, travelling beautifully and relishing the heavy conditions.”
A Saturday city winner at Gawler for Will Clarken prior to being purchased by part-owner Jacobus Vermaak for $7250 in an online bloodstock auction, Breaker of Chains has been a great money-spinner for his new connections, his four wins netting more than $70,000 in 15 months.
Life hasn’t always been easy for Breaker of Chains, who underwent a throat operation and had part of his tongue severed in an accident as an early three-year-old.  
His travails haven’t stopped him racing with success. He is now a winner of six races, including five from nine on heavy ground.