Walker Named AJRA Champion Jumps' Trainer

Te Akau's 12-time Champion Trainer Mark Walker, who ticked over 2000 career wins in 2024, added to his achievements at The Australian Jumps' Racing Association (AJRA) 2025 AJRA Mosstrooper Awards, held on 20 September at Glasshaus Inside in Cremorne, Melbourne.

The Mosstrooper Awards celebrate the very best in jumps' racing: the horses, trainers, jockeys, ground staff, and all those that make jumps racing thrive.

In a series of jumps' races, Walker recorded the highest number of points to win the JJ Houlahan Championship – Champion Trainer Award.

Walker has always had a soft spot of jumpers, highlighted by training some of the best in the past two seasons in Victoria, from the Te Akau stable at Cranbourne. He made history in August this year when becoming the first trainer to ever trifecta the prestigious Grand National Steeplechase (4500m), won by Leaderboard (Street Cry), followed by stable-mates The Mighty Spar (Savabeel) and Prismatic (Savabeel).

In 2024, Walker had six wins and four seconds from 13 starts over fences last season, shared two wins apiece by Prismatic, The Mighty Spar, and Leaderboard. The same trio was to the fore again this season, with The Mighty Spar winning four steeplechases in a row and Leaderboard, the former Group 3 Wellington Cup (3200m) and Listed St Leger (2600m) winner, notching three wins during the jumps' season.

“It was an honour to win the Jumps' Trainer Award, especially named after the legendary Jim Houlahan, who was a true icon of the sport and Hall of Fame trainer,” Walker said.

“It was a great day the Grand National day, the first time in history in Australia that the trifecta in the Steeplechase came from the same stable, and quite amazing because we only had the three jumpers going around throughout the season.

“I’ve always found the jumpers to be great in helping to educate the yearlings and giving them confidence. We’ve always had a few jumpers over the years – not many – just a handful, and they’re great schoolmasters.

“It’s a two-fold thing, the enjoyment we get out of having a few runners through the winter, when we don’t have many for wet track racing on the flat, and it keeps up the team's enthusiasm through the long, cold, wet, winters, and also, as mentioned, the help in educating the young ones.”