Chris Waller has watched with envy the adulation success in the Melbourne Cup provides the winning trainer.
A winner of Australia’s most famous race, Waller had to remain in Sydney due to COVID lockdowns when Verry Elleegant won the race in 2021.
This time around, the Waller team has five runners in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on Tuesday – Buckaroo, Kovalica, Land Legend, Valiant King and Manzoice – where the trainer will be on course to cheer them on.
“Winning our first Melbourne Cup, it was on the couch at home, it was a unique experience for sure,” Waller said on Monday.
“I would say the phone started ringing 10 seconds after they cross the line, and it didn’t stop for many days.
“I’ve seen the media scrums here at Flemington and the All Blacks would be proud of it.
“They all get around you. There’s a lucky person in front of the cameras, in front of the microphones, delivering the story.
“Every Melbourne Cup has a new story and it’s quite unique and one of sports great moments.”
Waller hopes one of his five charges will be that new story when the winner crosses the line around 3.05 on Tuesday afternoon.
Buckaroo and Land Legend are two of the more fancied of Waller’s five and both have drawn awkward barriers, although Waller is not concerned.
“There’s 24 runners, there’s lots of pressure, they go quickly, they tend to find their positions fairly well by the time the first corner comes up which is around 900 metres after the start,” Waller said.
“It’s not like athletics where they have to run in lanes, riders have to be responsible to those they’re riding against and therefore they have to carefully find their spots.
“Barrier draws are a talking point pre-race, but post-race they’re very rarely spoken about, so getting Buckaroo into a nice position is important but getting him comfortable is more important.
“I’m not concerned about the barrier for Buckaroo. He’s got a great international jockey in Joao Moreira aboard.
“He’s nicknamed the Magic Man, for one reason, he is magic and can do some amazing things.
“We’ll be calling on that and looking to Buckaroo running a strong 3200 metres.”
Always thinking, Waller has delved into his bags of tricks in a bid to get Land Legend to settle.
Waller has added earmuffs to Land Legend’s race day gear and instead of sprint work, Waller has given the stayer long striding, slower work.
A trip to Bendigo for a gallop last week in front of a crowd showed the trainer his regime is working.
“The earmuffs go on which will black out the noise of the crowd pre-race which most horses handle pretty well, but with him it might add to his excitement,” Waller said.
“So, we’re trying to dull that sound, and he’ll wear them in the race as well.
“It’s a pretty impressive sound hearing 24 horses thunder along the track, but when you’re a horse and getting ready to charge it can be overwhelming as well.”
Kovalica has been winless since May 2023 when winning the Queensland Derby, but Waller was happy with the gelding’s performance when sixth in Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley.
“He’s been running in the right races, including the Cox Plate as a lead up,” Waller said.
“The beauty of the Melbourne Cup, every year, there are surprises and not every year the favourites win, so a horse like Kovalica you can look after the race and say ‘Oh, Kovalica won, how did he do that’, and there would be enough in his form lines to suggest that’s how he did it.”
Manzoice is a former Victoria Derby winner who snuck into the field as number 24 in the Order Of Entry while Waller describes Valiant King as an out-and-out stayer.
“He’s down in the market, but Manzoice is a Derby winner here on the biggest stage,” Waller said.
“Valiant King, he’s a real genuine two-miler and that’s when the stamina counts.
“We ran third in the race last year with Sheraz, a similar type of horse, and I’m confident of the five that Valiant King will stay the best.”