Racing industry mourns former trainer Glen Baker

By Jordan Gerrans

Right until the end, Glen Baker had his hometown of Gordonvale in Far North Queensland in his heart and mind.

Born in the Gordonvale hospital 60 years ago, the respected former horse trainer passed away in the small town on Sunday night after a battle with stomach and liver cancer. 

Glen had stepped away from training his small team of horses at Beaudesert in recent times to fight his cancer from Townsville. 

But, there was a special occasion that required a further trip north for Glen in the last month of his life.

Glen’s beloved daughter Bailie – who claimed the coveted Birdsville Cup earlier this year as an apprentice – was set to have her first race rides at the Gordonvale track on October 4. 

Despite being terribly sick, Glen made his way to the track on that afternoon, a venue where he had trained winners over his decades in the sport. 

Bailie could not land a breakthrough victory at the Gordonvale meeting, but she did manage a couple of minor placings across the program. 

The results mattered for little to Glen as he was just overjoyed with pride to see his daughter finally ride at the venue where his family had plied their trade for generations. 

“The morning of the races, Glen was that sick that I didn’t think he would be able to go to the races,” Glen’s brother Wade recalls.

“A good friend of mine organised a table up on top of the grandstand at Gordonvale for Glen so he was comfortable.

“Glen really rallied to be there, I thought he would go home after the first race, but he soldiered on to be there all day.

“He was proud to be there and proud to see her riding there at her hometown in front of family and friends.

“It was very good as he really enjoyed racing.”

The Gordonvale club – which is based just to the south of Cairns - race twice a year.

And, while they do not hold TAB status like other tracks in the area, a Gordonvale race day is as well-attended as any in the north of the state.

The Baker surname is synonymous with racing at Gordonvale and the clan added another generation to their lineage in the sport when Bailie started riding earlier this year.

Glen was a long-time trainer at Gordonvale, Cairns, Atherton and Beaudesert while his brother Wade previously prepared his own team as well as riding in races.

Their father John was also a long-time industry participant.

Glen’s cousin Ralph has also been a consistent trainer throughout North Queensland for decades. 

While Glen’s condition deteriorated throughout 2025, he had a shining light in his life to watch Bailie climb the ladder as an apprentice rider.

The 25-year-old Bailie has quickly racked up nine winners in the saddle. 

“He was so proud to see her ride,” Wade said.

“Not only winning the Birdsville Cup, but how she was riding generally.

“From my perspective watching her ride, she is riding like a horsewoman because she has been riding since she was a small kid.”

Wade described Glen as a caring father to Bailie as well as being a great brother.

Bailie’s name has been up in lights this year after claiming the time-honoured Birdsville Cup aboard Testator Silens for Blackall trainer Clinton Austin in early September.

The now Gold Coast-based Bailie says the feature victory on the famous Birdsville dirt lifted her father’s spirits in the last few months of his life. 

"That was enormous really, it was such a big achievement and I'm still in shock," the apprentice jockey told Racenet.

"Because Dad was sick and going through such a rough time, it was a boost for both of us.

"It meant a lot, such a big race. It was pretty phenomenal. Seeing other people happy really brought him a lot of joy.”

Glen last took a galloper to the races in August of 2023. 

According to Racing And Sports’ statistics, Glen prepared 130 winners in the 26 years after starting his first runner in a race back in 1999.

The majority of those victories were at FNQ tracks but he enjoyed success in the city by winning races at Doomben, Eagle Farm and the Gold Coast.

Former Gordonvale Turf Club president Cameron Riches described Glen as a ‘friend to all within the racing industry’.

“Glen Baker was not only a highly respected horseman but also a genuinely great person,” Riches said.

“Our journey together began over two decades ago when Glen was stabled in Cairns, and over the years we shared countless highs and, as with any great racing story, a few lows along the way.

“From winning races across North Queensland to travelling the east coast with horses, every trip held its own memories and stories.

“Among the many highlights, two moments stand above the rest — being part of Glen and his family’s triumph in the 100th Gordonvale Cup in 2016 with Idle Situation, a club close to their hearts and a club I was the president of at the time, and celebrating Shezza Riches’ victory in a race in Cairns on my 21st birthday in 2010.”

The Queensland branch of the Australian Trainers’ Association extended their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Glen.

“Glen was widely admired for his dedication to the racing industry and his kind and genuine nature. His contribution to the sport and the people within it will be long remembered,” the ATA said.

“Our thoughts are with Baillie and the Baker family during this difficult time.”

Glen Baker’s funeral will be at held at Saint Michael's Church at Gordonvale on Friday, November 7 from 10:30am.

Racing Queensland extends its condolences to the Baker family.