Racing: Waller ends season with four winners

Photo / Christine Cornege

SYDNEY - Former Foxton horseman Chris Waller capped his rise through the Sydney trainers' ranks with four winners on the final day of the season at Rosehill on Saturday but it wasn't enough to dampen Peter Snowden's day.

Waller's 94 wins for the season placed him second to Snowden in the premiership, but the Darley trainer's lead was whittled down to four by racing's end.

"Wait till next year, Pete," Waller said with a grin.

"I wish we'd only been closer coming in to today. It shows we have the right systems in place and we've proved we can do it."

The systems have worked well for the 36-year-old but the Darley Australia systems are almost foolproof as well.

Snowden had to wait until the last race of the day to claim a winner on Saturday and fell two short of his goal of 100 Sydney winners for the season, but soaked up his first premiership after Reprobate won the Bravehearts Hcp (1200m).

"I'm rapt," he said.

"It's a special moment for me and nothing is going to faze me today.

"I've worked all my life for this. It takes a while, but once you get it right it's gold. I helped two trainers win 10 of them [premierships] and now I've got one of my own.

"To have my name alongside someone like Tommy Smith is very special to me."

Waller's association with Glyn Schofield continued in style with the jockey aboard three of the stable's winners - Hawk Island, We Betcha and Sikka, while Brenton Avdulla was the pilot for Altered Boy in the final of the Winter Championship.

We Betcha, winner of the Thredbo Handicap (1400m), and Sikka, who won the Matrium Technologies (1350m), are both owned by Ingham Racing Syndicate headed by Bob Ingham.

Two years ago, Ingham sold his Woodlands Stud racing and breeding interests to Sheikh Mohammed's Darley Australia.

Peter Snowden had already assumed the role of Crown Lodge trainer from John Hawkes after more than 20 years with the Ingham operation starting with trainer Vic Thompson.

After Ingham dispersed his interests, he began again with a spending spree at the 2008 Easter yearling sale, nominating Waller as his trainer.

Waller ran third last season but this term became the first person since John Size in 1998-99 to split the big two of Gai Waterhouse and Crown Lodge.

Waterhouse ran third this season but her retained rider Nash Rawiller claimed his first jockeys' premiership by six wins over Corey Brown to go with his feat of riding nine group one winners this season.

Tommy Berry notched his 50th metropolitan winner of the season when he won the Rosebud on One More Grand to win the apprentices' title.

- AAP