Nerves, rain and revenge as Waller unleashes his Champions Day stars

He is arguably our best trainer, having conquered the biggest races with some of the greats of Australian racing.

But Chris Waller concedes there are a few nerves ahead of Saturday’s Champions Day meeting at Flemington, with several of his superstars set to run.

None bigger than Autumn Glow.

“[The nerves] they’re there, which is normally a good sign,” he said on Friday.

“We’re well prepared and we’ve got a very good horse that we’re bringing to Melbourne for the first time and we’re excited to have her down here.

“She’s well, she’s had a good prep, and this is the last run of the preparation. It’d be good to go out on a good note.”

Waller said the stable decided to bring Autumn Glow down nine days before her race to ensure she settled into her new environment.

“We try and keep everything the same as normal. She travelled down with Joliestar, which was a big help,” he said.

“We have the same routine here in Melbourne as we do in Sydney. So just like us, just try and keep everything the same and care for them, and look after them, and pamper them, and the work’s basically done back home. So they come down here and have a pretty easy time, and that helps also.”

Waller said Flemington’s ability to drain well gives him confidence Autumn Glow will handle the conditions if the rain arrives.

“If the rain comes, Flemington’s a fantastic track to start with. That gives me confidence,” he said.

“She’s raced on some pretty wet tracks. There was one day at Randwick she raced fresh up, they thought about calling the races off the day before, and that was coming out of winter. It was a really wintry track, so she got through that fine.

“She didn’t win it as impressively, but it was only 1100 or 1200 metres, so back to a more suitable mile distance.

“The riding department, I leave that to the best. That’s James [McDonald] or whoever else is on our horses. It comes down to finding the best parts of the track, momentum, and things like that. So that’s where I’m very lucky to have James aboard.”

Another of Waller’s stars, Aeliana, is out to avenge her Cox Plate loss to Cosmic Crusader.

Waller pointed to Via Sistina’s heroics on Champions Day following her Cox Plate win in 2025 as proof the back-up can work.

“That’s what we’re seeing with [Champion] Stakes Day, it’s bringing a lot of horses together,” he said.

“My confidence grew in the last two years with Via Sistina, backing up after a tough Cox Plate run.

“And she did it well. And Aeliana’s come through it well. The beauty of it, you get another chance to say who’s the best of the spring. There’s only one Cox Plate winner, but it’ll be good to turn the tables. I’m sure a few others feel the same way.

“But again, the racing public are the winner.

“Seeing these horses race two times in two weeks, it’s great for everybody, and the same for some of the other races as well. Whether it’s Autumn Glow or Tempted, it’s really a special treat for everybody on Saturday.”

While Joliestar had lucrative alternatives in Sydney, the opportunity to race her down the Flemington straight was a factor in the decision to take on Tempted in the 1200m Champions Sprint.

“She’s very good down the straight. It’s a long time before the autumn. The sprinters kick off a little bit later than the mile and distance horses,” he said.

“We’ve still got a big gap. I guess the TJ will be her target in the autumn. So watching her and the way she comes through races has been the key. And she’s come through it really well. Very happy with how she looks now, and right up until race morning, if we’re not happy with it, we wouldn’t run it because she’s had a long journey.

“But she looks great. She was beaten by a small margin in the Everest, and that’s obviously a great form race. Being pretty well experienced now, running down the straight, I’m hoping that it can just even things up a little bit.”