John’s father & brother (George Snr & George Jnr) eventually found their way into racing, setting up their stable in Mulwala & Yarrawonga respectively. John, from age 10, worked at both, then from 12yrs of age, started riding track work at Corowa, the closest racetrack to Mulwala. In his mid 20’s, John established his own pre-training business in Yarrawonga, counting country legends such as Phil & Ken Sweeney, Ollie Cox and Jack & Richard Freyer as clients, before successfully applying for his own trainer license in 1986. After 14 years operating a stable in Yarrawonga, John moved toWangaratta in 2000, and built the current days home and stable complex adjacent the racecourse. John’s good horses include Love and Run, Blaze the Turf, Lago Lad, Soleil & Secret ToyBizness. But his most memorable was Brave Chief, who won 18 races, with son Adrian on board for 7 of those wins. He was Moonee Valley Horse of the Year in 1999, also winning a Sandown Cup. As an educator, John was instrumental mentoring many apprentices, including Kylie Heddle, Brooke & Sally Sweeney, Andrew Stead, Billy Egan, Ben Smith, Adam McCabe, Jackie Tong courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and of course, his son, Adrian Ledger. A fixture in the racing industry for over 40 years, John has trained 471 winners across Vic, NSW, SA, WA & Qld. He is credited with a Group 2 and 11 Group 3 race wins, and has earned lifetime prizemoney in excess of $8,000,000.
Well done to John Ledger, a most worthy recipient of the 2021 Country Achiever Award.
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