Michael Walker (born 1984) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

born former jockey of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

ancestry who won the New Zealand premiership and also competed in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Early life

Michael Walker was born in

Rotorua, New Zealand Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

in the central districts of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

, although his family later moved to Waitara. At the age of 11 Walker approached noted

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

trainer Allan Sharrock, asking for work with his horses. Sharrock gave him regular work after school, before eventually indenturing him as an apprentice. He arranged a special dispensation for Walker to start riding in races at age 15 instead of the usual starting age of 16. In his first year as an apprentice (the 1999–2000 racing year), Walker had an astonishing 131 wins to not only win the apprentices’ championship but the jockeys’ premiership as well (his first of three). While apprenticed to Sharrock, Walker won 653 races, most in New Zealand (a record 631 wins), but also in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore and Macau.

Senior jockey

Still only 20 when he became a fully fledged jockey in April 2004, Walker celebrated the next day by riding five winners at the Woodville-Pahiatua Racing Club's meeting in southern

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

. Despite not riding in New Zealand for three-quarters of the season, Walker finished with 107 wins, only seven behind

Matamata Matamata () is a town in Waikato, New Zealand. It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits. It is part of the Matamata-Piako District, which takes ...

jockey Leith Innes who won the 2003–04 premiership. However, he was awarded the apprentice of the year title for the season.

Overseas move

Wanting to further his career, Walker announced in May 2004 that he was moving to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to live in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, following in the footsteps of other champion New Zealand jockeys, such as

Midge Didham Ernest John "Midge" Didham (born 1945 in Mosgiel, New Zealand) is a retired jockey and horse trainer. Midge's father, Arthur, was a top-class jockey and trained at Wingatui. Midge was the leading New Zealand jockey in the 1969–70 season with 9 ...

, Greg Childs,

Brent Thomson Brent Thomson (born 1958 in Wanganui) is a New Zealand jockey, who is best known for winning the Cox Plate on four occasions and his association with the champion horse Dulcify. The son of a leading trainer Kevin Thomson, Brent became the c ...

Shane Dye Raymond Shane Dye (born 26 September 1966, in the township of Matamata New Zealand), is a former jockey. He was an apprentice jockey to Dave O’Sullivan at Matamata, before moving to Sydney, Australia initially working with Vic Thompson at War ...

and the Cassidy brothers, who made their names overseas. Walker left with the blessing of Sharrock and the New Zealand racing fraternity. He made an immediate impression a few days after moving to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, when he rode 30-1 shot Monde Special to win the

Warrnambool Warrnambool ( Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 35,743. Situated on the Princes Highway, Warrnambool (Al ...

Cup. A couple of weeks later he rode Chloe With Class to win at Moonee Valley to record his first metropolitan win, and followed that with a treble at

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

on 20 May 2004 on Lord Orb, Swift Rule, and Scopari. His ride on ''Danestorm'' to win the

Brisbane Cup The Brisbane Cup is a Brisbane Racing Club Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to: * Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification * Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962 ...

in June 2004 was hailed by the media. However, he then went through a period of poor form and wins were few and far between. In 2005 Michael returned to New Zealand and became stable rider for leading Matamata trainer Mark Walker. With that deal the winning feeling returned and in March 2006 he producing a perfectly timed ride on Pentane to win New Zealand's richest handicap, the

Auckland Cup The Auckland Cup is an annual race held by the Auckland Racing Club (ARC). It is an Open Handicap for thoroughbred racehorses competed on the flat turf over 3200 metres (two miles) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. The race was ...

Hunting accident

On 20 May 2008 Walker was seriously injured while pig hunting in

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

when he fell down a 10-metre high bank. He was taken to Taranaki Base Hospital and then transferred to Auckland City Hospital with serious head injuries. He scored a win in only his second ride after his accident, at

on 4 December 2008.

Injury and retirement

In August 2022 Michael Walker suffered a fall at a jumpout trial meeting at Pakenham, Victoria, and was hospitalised in intensive care, placed in an induced coma to stabilise him. This fall left Walker him suffering from a brain injury and in February 2023 he retired from raceday riding. At the time of his retirement it was reported Walker had won 1144 races in New Zealand and more than 2000 when including his victories in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. This included 25 Group I races.https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/racing/131241375/brain-injury-forces-kiwi-jockey-michael-walker-to-retire

Notable victories

The following are some of the major races Michael has won in New Zealand and Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Michael New Zealand jockeys Sportspeople from Rotorua Living people New Zealand Māori sportspeople 1984 births