Te Akau NZ Welcomes Champion Singapore Jockey

Singapore Champion Jockey Hakim Kamaruddin is set to bolster the riding ranks in New Zealand.

Indentured to Te Akau trainer Mark Walker in Singapore, Kamaruddin (24) joined Walker with honours last year when winning both Champion Apprentice and Champion Jockey titles.

Capturing both awards exemplified the ability of Kamaruddin, in just his second season riding, and a feat not been achieved since 1995 when Benny Woodworth won both titles as an apprentice in Singapore.

During a four-month break earlier this year, Kamaruddin returned home to Kelantan, Malaysia, where he spent most of his time flying kites.

Walker has always held Kamaruddin in high regard and the nine-time Champion Trainer (five NZ, four Singapore) welcomes the addition to his team.

“It was a remarkable achievement to win both titles in his first full season of riding and just shows how much natural talent he has as a rider,” Walker said.

“He should have no trouble adapting to New Zealand conditions and he's going to be a permanent fixture here so he'll keep improving.

“He's arriving in the next week and we'll kick him off at the trials before he gets out there on race days, but it's exciting to have a jockey of his ability coming to New Zealand and we're all looking forward to seeing how he goes.”

Since Walker returned home to start training again on 1 April, Kamaruddin has been apprentice to Te Akau trainer Donna Logan who leads the Singapore Trainers' Premiership with 54 wins this year.

Walker was Singapore Champion Trainer in 2015, 2017 (record 87 wins), 2019, and 2021, while also runner-up three times, third, and fourth.

After training over 850 winners for Te Akau in his first stint as trainer (1997 - 2010), Walker has recorded a further 66 wins, including eight stakes' wins, since returning to New Zealand, and currently leads the Trainers' Premiership with 42 wins this season.