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Aiming for his third title, Walker has 66 wins this season and leads by 19. He ended last season in fourth place on the premiership table.
The leading Kiwi trainer. The winner of five training premierships in New Zealand, Walker was crowned champion trainer in 2015 and 2017 while also finishing second and third since setting up stables in 2010.
Ridden by apprentice 'Nik' Riduan Abu Bakar, who claimed three kilos to carry 56kgs in the $30,000 Class 5, 1200 metres on turf, Broadway Success (4 g Alamosa – Broadway Express, by Snitzel) kicked away in the straight after leading. He was rated a strong top-four chance by Walker and so it proved, winning emphatically by 3.3 lengths after leading.
"He's physically and mentally been a bit weak, but his form has been solid since winning in April and it won't be his last win," Walker said. "He's a sound horse and just getting stronger with each season."
Broadway Success was purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis for NZ$135,000 at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, from the draft of Riversley Park.
Considered hard to beat by Walker, Altair (4 g Zoustar – Rossarita, by Testa Rossa) made it two from two in the $50,000 Class 4, 1200 metres on the Polytrack and carried top weight (59kgs) with Benny Woodworth aboard. After travelling effortlessly outside the leader, he quickened clear to win by two lengths.
"He's a really nice horse," Walker said. "We'd been concentrating on horses that had been lightly-raced, placed or won, in Sydney, and he was a horse we bought off Inglis Digital for A$105,000.
"He was an expensive yearling for the China Horse Club and he's a gelding now. He was A$550,000 as a yearling, but the China Horse Club and their partners sold him because they're not interested in racing geldings.
"He's going to go through the grades very quickly, because he's such a big, strong, robust horse and he had a fair bit up his sleeve last night, talking to Benny (Woodworth) at trackwork this morning (Saturday).
"He is owned by some Hong Kong clients, quite a promising horse and hopefully he is going to end up in the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge next year."
