From a racing upbringing in NZ to Group One success in Australia, Bjorn Baker brings experience, innovation and infectious enthusiasm to Club Racing Australia

MEET THE TRAINERS

BJORN BAKER RACING JOINS CLUB RACING AUSTRALIA

Club Racing Australia is proud to welcome Bjorn Baker Racing as one of the first four stables officially on board and ready to race for your club.

Based at Warwick Farm, Bjorn Baker has established himself as one of Australia’s leading thoroughbred trainers, producing Group One winners and competing successfully across some of the country’s biggest races.

His stable could soon be responsible for preparing, developing and racing one of the first horses to carry club-inspired colours through Club Racing Australia.

Racing is in the family

Bjorn grew up around horses, stables and racetracks as the son of New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame trainer Murray Baker.

Originally based in Woodville before relocating to the prominent racing centre of Cambridge, Murray became one of New Zealand’s most respected trainers. Growing up in that environment gave Bjorn an early insight into the patience, commitment and attention to detail required to develop successful racehorses.

Despite that background, Bjorn did not initially pursue a career in racing.

He studied pharmacy at Otago University and spent more than a decade working as a pharmacist. The experience strengthened his ability to interpret data, follow detailed processes and make carefully considered decisions—skills that would later influence his approach to training.

Learning from one of New Zealand’s best

Bjorn returned to racing in 2008 when he joined his father’s operation in Cambridge.

He began as an assistant foreman before progressing to assistant trainer and eventually entering a training partnership with Murray. During that period, Bjorn gained first-hand experience working with elite racehorses and learned the importance of treating every horse as an individual.

A defining achievement for the father-and-son team came when Lion Tamer produced an emphatic victory in the 2010 Victoria Derby.

The win demonstrated that the partnership could compete at the highest level in Australia and helped give Bjorn the confidence to establish a stable of his own.

Building a stable in Sydney

In 2011, Bjorn moved across the Tasman and launched his independent training operation at Warwick Farm.

He arrived with just two horses and the ambitious task of building his reputation within Sydney’s highly competitive racing industry.

Drawing on the traditional horsemanship learned from his father—and the analytical mindset developed during his pharmacy career—Bjorn created an adaptable training approach centred on fitness, versatility and understanding the individual needs of each horse.

The stable began to gain momentum through a steady flow of winners, but its major breakthrough came in 2014 when Unencumbered won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

Bjorn had selected and purchased the colt himself, making the victory an important demonstration of both his eye for emerging talent and his ability to prepare a young horse for a major target.

Success at the highest level

Since those early days, Bjorn Baker Racing has grown into a major metropolitan operation with an impressive record across a variety of racing distances and conditions.

The stable’s leading performers have included Overpass, Stefi Magnetica, Ozzmosis, Arapaho, Music Magnate, Samadoubt and O’ Ole.

Together, they have delivered victories in races including the Winterbottom Stakes, Stradbroke Handicap, Doncaster Mile, Coolmore Stud Stakes, Tancred Stakes, Sydney Cup, The Quokka and Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

While Bjorn has earned a strong reputation for developing sprinters and talented young horses, his results with middle-distance horses and stayers also demonstrate the stable’s versatility.

Bringing supporters along for the ride

Club Racing Australia is designed to connect sporting supporters with every stage of a racehorse’s journey—from selection and early education to stable life, training, trials and race day.

That makes communication, accessibility and enthusiasm especially important qualities in CRA’s training partners.

Bjorn Baker Racing is known not only for achieving results on the track, but also for keeping owners connected to the experience. Bjorn’s unmistakable enthusiasm for racing and winning makes him a natural fit for the energy and supporter-first approach of Club Racing Australia.

For CRA members, having a horse trained at Warwick Farm could provide a unique look inside one of Australian racing’s most dynamic stables as their club’s horse is prepared for the track.

Could Bjorn train your club’s first horse?

Bjorn Baker Racing is one of four leading stables officially on board with Club Racing Australia.

As CRA prepares to bring together two of Australia’s biggest sporting passions...professional sport and horse racing, we want supporters to follow the journey.

Follow Club Racing Australia and join the journey as we reveal more about our trainers, participating clubs and the horses that will bring this exciting new racing experience to life.