Rekindling's former trainer Wachman hails magnificent O'Brien

David Wachman, the man who trained Rekindling as a two-year-old, labelled Joseph O'Brien's achievement of winning a Melbourne Cup with the horse as magnificent.

It may have been Wachman lifting the world's richest handicap had he not decided to call time on his 20-year training career at the end of last season.

But there was no bitterness over what might have been as Wachman, speaking from the sales at Keeneland, said: "I'm delighted for Joseph, it's great. It's what we all want to do [win races like the Melbourne Cup] and to do it with a three-year-old, as a 24-year-old, is magnificent."

On the Rekindling he handled, he added: "He was always an organised and talented horse. He bumped into Capri on his debut in a Galway maiden, but then he won his maiden well and was good enough that we ran him in a Group 1 – but the ground was just very soft. All credit to Joseph and his team, what they've done with him has been amazing."

Wachman also counted Winter, who subsequently won four Group 1s, and Torcedor, who went on to finish placed at the highest level, among his troops this time last year.

The 46-year-old said he was enjoying life after retiring from the training ranks and far from their success rekindling his desire to train horses he said he had no regrets watching horses formerly in his care rack up major wins.

"Not at all, and all credit to the horses and those who have taken them on," he said. "I was very lucky to train some very nice types, some go on and others don't, and to see some do so well is brilliant."

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