Walker enters new training partnership

[Wandering Eyes]

It will be the dawn of a new era for Danny Walker on Saturday as he lines up his first runners under his new training partnership with long-time employee Arron Tata.

Tata, a former jumps jockey, isn’t new to the training ranks, having held a license for seven seasons, but Walker is looking forward to welcoming him back into the fold.

While Tata hasn’t trained in more than a decade, he has spent the last 20 years working for Walker, who felt it was time to reward Tata’s loyalty.

“Arron has been working with me for 22 years and it is time,” Walker said.

“We are pretty busy and we have a couple of young ones that we may take to Australia at some stage.

“He deserves to have his name in the racebook, he has worked very hard, and he is a good horseman.”

With Tata joining him in partnership, Walker said he is free to campaign a few horses in Australia over the summer months.

“After the carnivals, maybe in the summer, we might take some over,” he said.

“I have always been thinking about it but the carnival time is too tough in Australia.

“We think Reverberations will make a nice staying horse.”

The pair will line-up their first runners under their new partnership at Te Rapa on Saturday.

Crystalize will contest the UBP Te Awamutu Cup (1600m) at Te Rapa on Saturday.
Photo: Trish Dunell

Crystalize will contest the UBP Te Awamutu Cup (1600m) while Bunkers will be vying for back-to-back wins in the JF Grylls Memorial Classic (1500m).

Crystalize finished runner-up over 1200m at Te Rapa last month and the Byerley Park horseman believes the six-year-old gelding will appreciate the step up to 1600m this weekend.

“It was a nice runner-up effort last time and stepping up to a mile this weekend is hopefully going to help,” Walker said.

“He has had five runs at a mile for five seconds.”

Walker is also pleased about the wet forecast, with Te Rapa already rated a Heavy8 on Tuesday morning.

“He likes Te Rapa when it is wet, that is his go,” Walker said.

A trip south to Christchurch could be in the offing for the son Iffraaj, but Walker said nothing is set in stone.

“We will have a look at the Winter Cup (Gr.3, 1600m), but I am not 100 percent sure,” he said.

Walker said Bunkers will also lap up the wet conditions this weekend.

“She has done well and the wetter the better for her. The way the weather is at the moment, it is awful,” he said.

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