The New South Wales town of Glen Innes is ideally placed at the junction of the Gwydir and New England Highways in the Northern Tablelands region of the state. The area was originally inhabited by the Ngarabal tribe, with the first Europeans arriving in the mid-19th century. Today the town has a population in excess of 5,250 and has its own very successful racecourse run by the Glen Innes Jockey Club. The highlight of their racing year is the Glen Innes Cup over 1400 metres, traditionally staged on the second Saturday in January.
The earliest record of racing in Glen Innes was on Wednesday 18th January 1860, opening a two day meeting. Principal results from that early meeting are shown below.
Wednesday 18th January 1860
Glen Innes Maiden Plate (£50) over 1 ½ miles
1. Annie Laurie owned by Mr R Ross and ridden by Jackie
2. Orlando owned by Mr Murphy
3. Cricket owned by Mr E Loveday
Thursday 19th January 1860
Glen Innes Town Plate (£60) twice round
1. Telegraph owned by Mr R Baker and ridden by Murphy
2. Maggie Lauder owned by Mr F McInnes
3. Annie Laurie owned by Mr R Ross
The first meeting staged by the Glen Innes Jockey Club took place on Tuesday 26th January 1875 and saw over 1200 people enjoy the spectacle of the Jockey Club Cup in which Sunlight beat Uncas and Kingfisher. The next day the feature race, the Jockey Club Handicap, was won by Athos at the main expense of Erin and Sunlight. The next year the meeting began on Wednesday 2nd February 1876 and such was its popularity that there was insufficient accommodation for everyone, so several people had to camp out in tents. The Jockey Club Handicap was won by Sunlight, beating Erin and AT, while the Glen Innes Cup (1000 sovereigns) over 2 miles saw Erin beat AT and Athos.
In 1877 the Jockey Club commissioned Mr Evan Jones to manufacture a Gold Cup, 16 ½ inches high, surmounted by an exceptionally modelled horse and jockey also in gold. It was won by Thyra owned by Mr Frederick Morgan of Warwick.
Early Glen Innes Cup winners
(A full list is available on request)
1875 Glen Innes Cup over 2 miles was won by Sunlight, beating Uncas and Kingfisher
1876 Glen Innes Cup (1000 sovereigns) over 2 miles was won by Erin, beating AT and Athos
1877 Glen Innes Gold Cup over 1 ½ miles was won by Thyra owned by Mr Frederick Morgan, beating Maude and Wrangler 14 ran
1879 Glen Innes Gold Cup over 2 miles was won by Regulator owned by Mr T Vivers, beating Aristocrat and Young Chester 9 ran
1880 Glen Innes Gold Cup over 2 miles was won by Barber owned by Mr J V Brown, beating Sir Hercules and Clarendon
Recent Glen Innes Cup winners
(A full list of winners is available on request)
2009 Glen Innes Cup ($5,600) over 1400 metres was won by Blinkin Easy (5/2) trained by Ruth Cooper and ridden by Timothy Bell, beating Our Gangster and Il Favorito 8 ran
2010 Glen Innes Cup ($5,600) over 1400 metres was won by All Again (4/1) trained by Lesley Jeffriess and ridden by Ms L Menser, beating Sista Kugah and Montana Hilton 11 ran
2011 Glen Innes Cup ($5,600) over 1400 metres was won by Tizapaine (5/1) trained by Grant Prosser and ridden by Peter Graham, beating Bradfield and Mr Braveheart 12 ran
2012 Glen Innes Cup ($5,600) over 1400 metres was won by Zigzag (100/30) trained by Peter Sinclair and ridden by Terry Treichel, beating El Sonador and Emotional Outburst 8 ran
2013 Glen Innes Cup ($8,800) over 1400 metres was won by Seen Im (7/1) trained by Sandra McCormack and ridden by Raymond Spokes, beating Pipers Point and Rhodonite 9 ran
2014 Glen Innes Cup ($8,095) over 1400 metres was won by Keep It Danish (12/1) trained by Sue Grills and ridden by Raymond Spokes, beating Sambora and Playa 9 ran
2015 Glen Innes Cup ($8,095) over 1400 metres was won by Miss Caitlyn (7/2) trained by Paddy Cunningham and ridden by Jodi Wortley, beating Keep It Danish and Waikki Gold 8 ran
2016 Glen Innes Cup ($8,095) over 1400 metres was won by Carry Me Gee Gee (7/4 fav) trained by Paddy Cunningham and ridden by Jodi Wortley, beating More of the Zaim and Henry The First 11 ran
2017 Glen Innes Cup ($8,870) over 1400 metres was won by Hula Girl (8/1) trained by Paddy Cunningham and ridden by Matthew Paget, beating Carry Me Gee Gee and Our Minaan 13 ran
2018 Glen Innes Cup ($8,760) over 1400 metres was won by Devlann (7/2) trained by Dean Smith and ridden by Craig Franklin, beating Mishani Stealth and Medal Afrique 7 ran
