Hawkspur a dream result for Waller and his mate Royal Descent (right) and Hawkspur from the Chris Waller stable. Tony Muollo stood next to Chris Waller at his wedding. On Saturday, the two will be side-by-side again as Sydney's premier trainer attempts to win his biggest prize to date with favourite Hawkspur in the Caulfield Cup. There have been many special days for the owner and trainer, but Saturday's big one is what they have long dreamed of together. "When we were back in New Zealand, we used to talk about - before Chris even became a trainer - how good it would be to have a good horse in the biggest races," Muollo said. Jim Cassidy wins the Queensland Derby on Hawkspur. Hawkspur is the horse of dreams for the owner and trainer. The four-year-old is on track to be the first Queensland Derby winner to subsequently win a Caulfield Cup. But less than 12 months ago the dream seemed even further away than when Waller and Muollo were young men in New Zealand. "This time last year, I went to the Melbourne Cup meeting at Rosehill and was walking away a bit disappointed because Hawkspur got beaten," said Muollo, who also has a small share in It's A Dundeel. Tony Muollo (right) with Chris and Stephanie Waller at the wedding. That was his eighth start and he was still a maiden. Chris wasn't there and although we always thought he would make it as a horse, I had my doubts that day. To think we are now favourite in a Caulfield Cup with Jim Cassidy riding him, is amazing. Jim Cassidy, the bloke who was riding Melbourne Cup winners when we were kids. So how does a seafood wholesaler get tied up with Waller, who at the time was a foreman for a leading stable. About six months before my boss Paddy [Busuttin] finished up training, Tony brought a horse to us. That would be more than 20 years ago, Waller said. He stayed with me when I went out on my own and helped bring my first two horses to Australia. He has always been there. It is a friendship that began because of racing and has built through the years. It has had success at the highest level, with Muollo and Waller, and the trainer's wife Stephanie, sharing the ownership of Pressday, who won the TJ Smith Stakes in Brisbane. "He is someone who has been with me from the start and he knows me very well," Waller said. We can talk about everything. He will tell me about a problem he might have and I will do the same with him. Fortunately for both of us, our businesses have gone in the right direction and we don't have as many problems as we did when we started. Muollo, who takes a backseat in his racing and doesn't even have his own colours, has been blown away by Waller's success. I have seen Chris grow. I saw him come to Australia with two horses, and I was involved in both of those horses, to now when he has a couple of hundred horses," he said. I'm really proud to have been part of it. He is the leading trainer in Australia. It's A Dundeel, who won the triple crown, culminating in the Australian Derby, was, in fact, the horse Muollo didn't want. A mate of a mate was ringing me about this horse and persistently ringing me. I said to him I had enough horses, but after the third or fourth call I just got a share to keep him quiet. For me racing is about friendship, that's why it would be great to get that cup and hold it with Chris.