Top trainer Chris Waller has admitted he had thoughts that he would accept the offer to become head trainer for Darley in Australia. Speaking in Sydney's Daily Telegraph, Waller said he drove home following a meeting with John Ferguson in September thinking he would be the successor to Peter Snowden in the coveted position.
Waller's decision to decline the offer resulted in John O'Shea being approached and subsequently taking the role.
"I was very close to going,'' Waller told The Daily Telegraph.
"I'm reluctant to talk about this, and I'm still reluctant to talk about it because I've got so much respect for the people who offered me the job.
"But 'yes', I was approached, I was asked to come in for a talk on a Monday, and when I left that meeting, I remember driving home thinking, 'I'm going to be Darley's next trainer'.
"My wife Stephanie was the first person I told. I also spoke to some people close to me, including (stable foreman) Peter Muscutt, (racing manager) Liam Prior, and a select of powerful and influential owners who could run the country if they chose to.
"I slept that night, but it was in the middle of the Melbourne spring carnival, so it was the first thought on my mind every morning.
"In the end I realised I couldn't walk away from everyone. It wasn't just me, I'd be walking away from my staff, owners, friends, service providers.
"Why am I training? I don't want to me a multi-millionaire, I do this because I enjoy being around all these people, and I'm talking about a lot of people who supported me when I was starting out and had nothing.
"I currently have 130 horses at Rosehill and Flemington. I'd love to think I could grow that number to 150 if we get extra boxes at Flemington.
"Who is to say we can't be the next Darley? We can have everything in place ourselves where everyone says, 'wow, it's a foolproof system', which Darley has.''