Chris Waller's overnight success has been a decade in the making, and he is just getting started.The 37-year-old joined an elite group of trainers on Saturday when he brought up his 100th winner for the Sydney season with TJ Smith, Brian Mayfield-Smith, Gai Waterhouse and John Hawkes the others to achieve the feat.More importantly, Waller is poised to claim the Sydney premiership after whetting his appetite last year when a close second to Sheikh Mohammed's trainer Peter Snowden.There was no hin

Chris Waller's overnight success has been a decade in the making, and he is just getting started.

The 37-year-old joined an elite group of trainers on Saturday when he brought up his 100th winner for the Sydney season with TJ Smith, Brian Mayfield-Smith, Gai Waterhouse and John Hawkes the others to achieve the feat.

More importantly, Waller is poised to claim the Sydney premiership after whetting his appetite last year when a close second to Sheikh Mohammed's trainer Peter Snowden.

There was no hint of what was to come when Waller arrived from New Zealand 10 years ago with a couple of horses, little money and a big dream.

His ambitions were complemented by a belief in his own ability and a lot of hard work that has translated into a team of 100 horses and a loyal and dedicated staff.

"I've never worried about what other people think or say, if I did I'd still be in New Zealand," Waller said.

I've always tried to put myself around good people and learn from them.

"The hardest thing is managing a big stable, that is an achievement."

Waller doesn't have any formal training in business but has stuck to a tried and true method.

"I've never had any money to waste," he said.

"When I started out I had a daily budget and I still have the same business model.

"The key is to keep the boxes full and keep it simple."

One way of filling the boxes was to import horses from Europe primarily to race in middle distance and staying races over the winter.

"We couldn't afford to buy yearlings in Australia so we looked overseas," Waller said.

"All but one of those horses has won races. We are buying better quality horses at the English sale now."

Among the better quality Europeans now in his yard is My Kingdom Of Fife who was culled from the Queen's racing interests and won at Group One level during the autumn.

Waller received an injection of yearlings three years ago when Bob Ingham spent more than $20 million at the Sydney Easter sale on a new venture after selling his Woodlands operation to Sheikh Mohammed.

Having watched Waller build his reputation, Ingham anointed him as the trainer for his new family racing business.

Fittingly, it was one of those yearlings Little Surfer Girl, who brought up a treble for Waller at Rosehill on Saturday to counter a double by Snowden.

Waller finished the day on 102 winners, 18-1/2 ahead of Snowden who has all but conceded the title, for this year at least.

Snowden has an edge over Gai Waterhouse with the three set to fight many more battles in the years to come.