Walker ready to set the record straight
MICHAEL Walker was sick of being an also-ran.
The one-time whiz kid of New Zealand racing had trodden a wandering path since his glory days as an apprentice and most had him written off into that bulging bin of sports stars destined never to reach their full potential.
But with 132 winners last season marking his best ever in Australia, Walker is now on the verge of his greatest moment in racing – if he can guide Criterion to success in the $3 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley tomorrow.
“I was sick of just going around and not striving for things,” Walker said. “I set a goal to ride 100 winners last season and thought everything else would be a bonus.
“I won the Australian Cup on Spillway and (a back) injury cost me a premiership.
“I’ve got my mojo back, I’m feeling good and I have turned things around.”
He says Criterion has improved from the Caulfield Stakes on October 10 and is a more complete horse to the one that won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes for Craig Williams in autumn.
“When I rode him last prep I think he was mentally immature. Now he feels like the complete package,” he said.
“His preparation has been faultless.”
It’s no coincidence Walker’s two Group 1 wins this calendar year have been for David Hayes and Tom Dabernig. Hayes has been a long-time supporter.
“When I came back (from a hip operation) David wanted to test me and see if I was prepared to work for the results. It snowballed from there.”
Walker broke just about every record as an apprentice, riding 653 winners, but being a superstar at such a young age isn’t an automatic ticket to senior stardom.
Attempts to kickstart a career in Australia failed, during which time he confessed to regular drug use. He was on the outer and questioned whether he wanted to go on.
“I was called the next best thing, this and that … and I could have been, but I made a few bad decisions in life,” Walker admits.
“Now it’s time for me to rectify those decisions. I want to get a few of those bridges back that I broke. I am doing that now and hopefully people see me as a different person and a different rider.
“A jockey needs to have a squeaky clean work life. Someone like me, I need to keep busy and keep working hard. It’s good at David’s. I do that.”
Religion plays a big role in the life of Walker, particularly since an accident during a hunting trip in his homeland in 2008 nearly claimed his life.
On life support, medical staff expected Walker to die and he was told he wouldn’t ride again and may be confined to a wheelchair.
“I defied all those odds,” he said. “I look back at it and think the reason God left me on this Earth is because there’s still things in life for me to achieve. So I am very thankful to God for giving me this opportunity.”
Walker insists he has not thought much about what he may feel if he is successful on Criterion tomorrow, declaring it is important he also does justice to all his other mounts this weekend.
“What will be will be. I will do my best, the horse will do his best and if it’s good enough on the day, it will be.”