Murray Baker (born 21 April 1946) is a New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse trainer and former New Zealand

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

er.

Cricket

Baker played in one

List A List A cricket is a classification of the limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competitions in which the numbe ...

and seventeen first-class matches for

Central Districts The Central Stags, formerly known as Central Districts, are a first-class cricket team based in central New Zealand. They are the men's representative side of the Central Districts Cricket Association. They compete in the Plunket Shield firs ...

and

Northern Districts The Northern Districts men's cricket team are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket. They are based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand (excluding Auckland). They compete in the ...

from 1966 to 1975. Baker was part of the team who won the Plunket Shield and played for Huddersfield in England.

Horse training

Baker started training at Woodville in the 1970s. His first raceday winner was Vizier on October 4 1978, at Otaki. Another early winner was Sir Vigilant in the 1985

New Zealand St. Leger The New Zealand St. Leger is a major thoroughbred horse race run at Trentham Racecourse in New Zealand on New Zealand Oaks day in March each year. Race conditions and scheduling It was run over 2500m up until 2018 and 2600m from 2019 onward, i ...

. In 2000 Murray moved his training operation to Cambridge. He has trained in partnership with: * his son, Bjorn Baker, who later moved to set up stables of his own at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. * Andrew Forsman. Murray has won many major races on both sides of the Tasman with leading horses such as: * Bonneval, twice

New Zealand Horse of the Year There is a New Zealand horse of the year in each of the racing codes: - Standardbred or harness racing, either pacers or trotters, and - Thoroughbred racing or gallopers. Harness Horse of the Year The New Zealand Harness Horse of the Year award ...

, winner of the 2017

Australian Oaks The Australian Oaks is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three year old fillies at set weights run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney in the autumn during the ATC Championships series. The Aust ...

Feehan Stakes The John F. Feehan Stakes is a Moonee Valley Racing Club Group 2 Australian Thoroughbred horse race held under Weight for Age conditions, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1600 meters at Moonee Valley Racecourse in S ...

New Zealand Oaks The New Zealand Oaks is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run at set weights over a distance of 2400 metres ( miles) on the third Saturday of March every year at Trentham Racecourse in Wellington, New Zealand. It was r ...

and

Underwood Stakes The Underwood Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race, run over 1800 metres under weight-for-age conditions, held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in late September each year. Total prize money for the ra ...

* Dal Cielo, winner of the 2015

Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes The Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes, currently known as the Sistema Stakes, is a Group One horse race for Thoroughbred two-year-olds held at Ellerslie Racecourse. Run over 1200 metres in Auckland Cup Week in March, it is regarded as one of New Ze ...

Dundeel Dundeel, or It’s a Dundeel as he is known in Australia, is a champion New Zealand Thoroughbred racehorse. He is the fifth and most recent winner of the Australian Triple Crown. Background Dundeel is a bay colt trained by Murray Baker and And ...

, winner of the

Australian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing The Australian Triple Crown is a three-race competition for thoroughbred horse racing, racehorses. The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing#Australia, Australian Triple Crown consists of the Randwick Guineas (1600 metres) (previously the Canterbury ...

* Harris Tweed, winner of the 2009

Tulloch Stakes The Tulloch Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race, for three-year-old colts and geldings, at set weights, over a distance of 2000 metres, held annually at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney Australia. Total prize money for th ...

and 2010

The Bart Cummings The Bart Cummings is a Victoria Racing Club Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race quality handicap, over a distance of 2500 metres. It is held annually at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in early October. The total prize money is A$750,000 ...

, placed 2nd in the 2009

AJC Derby AJC may refer to: * Agreement on Journey Continuation, an agreement between European rail operators to allow passengers in case of a missed connection * Allen Jack+Cottier (AJ+C), an architectural practice * American Jewish Committee, an advocacy ...

and 2010

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...

* Jon Snow, winner of the 2017

Australian Derby Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

* Lickety Split, winner of the 2022 Sistema Stakes * Lion Tamer, winner of the 2010

Victoria Derby The Victoria Derby, also known as the Penfolds Victoria Derby, is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held under Set Weights conditions over a distance of 2,500 metres at Flemington Racecourse, in Melbourn ...

. * Lizzie L’Amour, winner of the 2018 Herbie Dyke Stakes *

Mongolian Khan Mongolian Khan (foaled 19 October 2011) is a retired Australian-bred New Zealand-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2015 he won the 140th running of the New Zealand Derby before going on to win the Australian Derby becoming the first horse to co ...

, winner of the 2015

New Zealand Derby The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day o ...

and

* My Eagle Eye, winner of the 1992

Sydney Cup The Sydney Cup is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred handicap horse race, for horses three years old and older, run over 3200 metres at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia in the autumn during the ATC Championships series and it i ...

Nom Du Jeu Nom Du Jeu is a New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse. He won the 2008 AJC Australian Derby, beating Red Ruler in a rare New Zealand quinella in an Australian Group One race. The win made him the first New Zealand male three-year-old to win an ...

, winner of the 2008

Quick Thinker Quick Thinker (foaled 7 September 2016) is a Group 1 winning Australian bred, New Zealand trained thoroughbred racehorse. Background Quick Thinker was a A$100,000 Inglis Easter purchase and was bred by Bowcock Bloodstock. He is a half-broth ...

, winner of the 2019

Ming Dynasty Quality Handicap The Ming Dynasty Quality Handicap is an Australian Turf Club Group 3 Thoroughbred quality handicap horse race for three-year-olds, over a distance of 1400 metres at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, Sydney, Australia. Total prizemoney for the race is ...

, 2020

and 2021

Chairman's Handicap (ATC) The Chairman's Handicap is an Australian Turf Club Group 2 Thoroughbred quality handicap horse race for horses three years old and older, held over a distance of 2600 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in April. Prizemoney is A$300, ...

* Stolen Dance, winner of the 2018

Thorndon Mile The Thorndon Mile (formally WRC George Adams Handicap) is a Group One (G1) Thoroughbred horse race contested at Trentham Racecourse by the Wellington Racing Club. The race is run on Wellington Cup day, traditionally the last Saturday of January. ...

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

,winner of the 1990

Memsie Stakes The Memsie Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under weight for age conditions, for horses aged three years old and upwards, over a distance of 1400 metres. It is held at Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne, Australi ...

and

. Placed 3rd in the 1989

and 2nd in the 1990

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melb ...

* The Chosen One, winner of the 2022

* Turn Me Loose (horse), Turn Me Loose, winner of the 2014 New Zealand 2000 Guineas, 2015 Crystal Mile, Seymour Cup, Emirates Stakes and 2016 Futurity Stakes (MRC) * Vin De Dance, winner of the 2018

Murray retired from training in May 2022. During his career he had accumulated: * over 1800 New Zealand winners. * approximately 60 winners in Australia. * 270 stakes and group race wins (including 48 in Australia). * 57 Group One wins (including 22 in Australia). * 9 Derbies and 5 Oaks victories. * 4 New Zealand training premierships. * 5 New Zealand trainer of the year awards. Murray is a member of the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame.

References

External links

*
Baker Racing - Cambridge New Zealand

Decorated trainer was born to be wildly successful

MURRAY BAKER INDUCTED INTO THE NEW ZEALAND RACING HALL OF FAME

People A-G , NZ Racing Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Murray 1946 births Living people New Zealand cricketers Central Districts cricketers Northern Districts cricketers Cricketers from Napier, New Zealand New Zealand racehorse trainers New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductees

Cricket

Horse training

See also

References

External links