“I’m probably more at a stage now where I think it’s about being an ambassador for racing, keeping the good news stories happening and making sure the people, the trainers, who came before me aren’t disappointed with what we’re doing,” he says.
“It’s more about tradition and there are a lot better trainers training than I was when things were tough. I’m lucky, I’ve got a great support team. I’m only one of a bigger number and it’s our job to make sure racing continues for another 200 years-plus and face the challenges along the way.”
So, does he see his position as a stewardship of sorts?
“Yeah, it’s being part of racing history: I just have respect for it,” he explains. “I couldn’t name all the big names that have won the Melbourne Cup or Derby winners but I just have respect for how hard those races are to win, whether it be a Hong Kong Derby, or a Dubai World Cup, a Kentucky Derby, you name it.
“Races like those and here at Royal Ascot, they’re bloody hard to win and you respect those trainers, jockeys and teams that win them.”
It is not easy, though, for a trainer from Australia or his horse to win over the often-parochial British race goers. The brash, blokeish Peter Moody and his incredible mare Black Caviar could not pull it off. But Waller, the Kiwi, is clearly a different character and if Home Affairs or Nature Strip can deliver the spoils, the greatest Australian-based trainer of his time might just earn their respect, however grudging it might be.
“Look, I’m just proud to be a horse trainer,” he adds as the last of the photographers exit the paddock. “I think it’s an honour to have a trainer’s licence wherever you are in the world and I respect that.”