All Blacks coaching great Sir Steve Hansen believes New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame trainer Chris Waller is a prime candidate for New Zealand sports coach of the year.
Hansen made the statement on the eve of Saturday’s $A15 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick, a race for which he shares in the ownership of the Waller-trained champion and even money favourite Nature Strip (Nicconi).
The legendary conditioners looked over the world’s fastest sprinter at Waller’s Rosehill stables on Friday morning, with Hansen giving his nod of approval to the horse’s aura of health.
“He’s as good as I’ve seen him look. Chris is confident that he and his team have done their job and that’s all any coach can do,” Hansen said.
“He’s like a good athlete – he’s just got better with age. His brain is working better; he’s not fighting the jockey the whole time. He’s relaxing. The trip to England has really helped him. He’s a laid-back customer now and has got that bit of swag about him.”
Hansen was in awe of what Waller was achieving – and not just with Nature Strip.
“He’s coaching horses and he does that better than most. We’re very proud of him as New Zealanders, especially our racing fraternity,” he said.
“I don’t think most New Zealanders understand how good he really is but he should be up for Sportsman of the Year. Racing doesn’t tend to get that recognition but maybe it should.
“We’ve talked a lot about preparation because when I was coaching, that’s what I did – got the Sunday to Friday right and Saturday was always the fun part. It’s not different for racing horses.”
Hansen shares in the ownership of “Anzac horse” Nature Strip with Kiwi mates Peter Kean and Paddy Harrison and a group of Australian owners who have seen their star athlete amass 22 wins from 39 starts for earnings of more than $A19 million.
“We’ve had the privilege to enjoy some great sporting moments. He’s taken us on a wonderful journey around the world. It’s a privilege to have a horse as good as this fella,” he said.
Waller has relished his opportunity to train for Hansen and said he loves gleaning off pearls of coaching wisdom from the World Cup-winning coach.
“It’s been an absolute privilege. I’ve had the occasional chat with Sir Steve. He’s a pretty level head and you can see why he’s so successful,” Waller said.
“He thinks about things deeply and doesn’t get carried away, win or lose. I’ve tapped into him occasionally … mainly about the psychology of how you handle these big days and keeping things simple.
“There are aspects that do cross reference but the bottom line is the horse has got to be fast enough, just as the team has got to be good enough.”
Waller agreed that if Nature Strip was to defend his title in The Everest, it would be an Australasian victory.
“James (McDonald, rider) and I are certainly proud of where we’re from,” he said. “Sydney is home but New Zealand is my grassroots and that’s something I’ll always be proud of.”
