After joining the trainers’ ranks in Nov 04 Walter quickly adjusted to the new daily routine to such a degree that he brought home his first winner with just his eighth runner. Since then there has been a steady stream of winners across the board, including at Group and Listed level as well as a number of major Handicap prizes

He now brings to bear all his expertise gained from an extensive, worldwide riding career to a yard with a rich history, going back over 20 years to the days when father-in-law and former licence-holder Peter Harris pioneered his highly successful racing partnerships.

Walter now fully understands the ups and downs, trials and tribulations and frustrations he has to endure from the trainer’s perspective compared to those of a jockey but, at the same time, gets enormous satisfaction from seeing the unbroken yearlings arrive from the sales and develop into the finished article. To nurture the likes of Stotsfold, Staying On, Pinpoint and Viking Spirit, amongst others, into durable top-class equine athletes not only takes skill, experience and a deep understanding of ‘the horse’ but gives him great pleasure in a job well done.

To see any horse perform to its optimum is reward itself for the hours of preparation in the yard and on the gallops and it takes a special kind of knowledge to recognise the ‘signals’ and to appreciate the different characteristics of every horse. Getting the best out of each horse is the challenge – a challenge that Walter is undeniably qualified to take on, and succeed.