Michael Walker forced into retirement due to brain injury
Popular jockey Michael Walker has conceded that his career in the saddle is over after suffering from a debilitating brain injury that he received after a fall at the Pakenham jump-outs in early August last year.
Walker, affectionately known as ‘Cuz’, had his last race ride on Irish Flame for Brett Scott at Moonee Valley on July 30, before his fall at Pakenham on the following Monday.
After recording over 2,000 winners in four different countries, Walker will end his career after 20 years of riding at the top level in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.
The New Zealander spoke with Racing.com about what he is dealing with in his day-to-day life and why it’s the right decision to retire from riding.
“I’ll never be able to return to racing,” Walker said.
“With the brain injury, it’s just something that I’ll never be able to do again.
“Sometimes, I think that I’m getting better but obviously, I speak to my partner Lauren, we try to sit down to work out things, like I have to use a diary, there’s heaps of little things I have to do to remember things.”
Walker’s two main concerns now are fatigue and memory issues.
“Everything that’s happened with this last injury, it’s just changed my life altogether,” Walker said.
“Things are so different, I would love to go to the races, I miss seeing horses, but I just struggle, I get tired.
“With noise and people around you, it makes you tired, if there’s too much going on around me, it just zonks me.”
Walker rode 25 Group 1 winners throughout his career, amassing over $54 million in prize money.
He won some of the biggest races in Australia and New Zealand, including the New Zealand Derby three times, the memorable Caulfield Guineas on Mighty Boss in 2017 and the Blue Diamond Stakes on Tagaloa in 2020.