Respected Queensland horseman Glen Baker kept his cheeky sense of humour right to the very end.
The 60-year-old former trainer and father of Birdsville Cup-winning jockey Bailie Baker died at his Townsville home on Sunday night after a long battle with stomach and liver cancer.
“Every time I’d ring him after I had ridden a winner he’d act like he didn’t watch the race,” Bailie Baker told Racenet on Monday.
“He’d always say ‘yeah I’ve done nothing special today, nothing caught my eye’.
“He was very funny and super easy to talk to. I remember every time I’d meet someone new he’d start a conversation with them like he’d known them for years.”
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Baker said her Birdsville Cup victory last month had given her and the family a massive boost during a tough time after Glen was diagnosed as being terminally ill just three months before the iconic race.
Glen and his wife Justine watched the Birdsville Cup from their caravan while travelling, although Glen again cheekily tried to pull the wool over his daughter’s eyes.

The late Glen Baker with his wife Justine. Picture: Supplied
“That was enormous really, it was such a big achievement and I’m still in shock,” the 25-year-old apprentice jockey said.
“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.
“After the race he said ‘I’m doing nothing’ and I said ‘you’re such a bullshitter’.”

Bailie Baker after winning the Birdsville Cup on Testator Silens. Picture: Peter Wallis
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Bailie, who is apprenticed to Gold Coast trainer Adam Campton, said her dad was a kind and generous man who had always wanted to help others.
“Seeing other people happy really brought him a lot of joy,” she said.
“I remember always coming to him about stuff and he’d say ‘just always be kind because it makes you look better’.
“I flew up there (to Townsville) for the week and I was a bit nervous because he would’ve told me to get back to work.
“He just slept most of the time but I was able to talk to him. He’d wake up four times a day for about 30 seconds because he was just so exhausted and had no energy.
“It was good to be there and sit with him. He was just always so cheeky, even to the nurses.
“The nurses would ask ‘Are you in pain?’ and he’d say ‘no’, ‘Do you need to eat’ and he’d say ‘no’ and she goes ‘Do you have an annoying nurse?’ and he’d just nod his head.”
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Bailie remembers her father, who was a prominent trainer in far north Queensland, regularly taking to the races a young Aboriginal boy who had a tough upbringing.
“Dad would buy him brand new clothes and show him all the horses,” she recalled.
“He won a race and the little boy was able to get into the photo with the trophy.
“Dad was always very positive. Even at the races when your adrenaline is high, he never ever bagged the jockey (for a bad ride).”
The Australian Jockeys’ Association on Monday extended its deepest condolences to Glen Baker’s family and friends, saying the respected ex-trainer was “widely admired for his dedication to the racing industry and his kind and genuine nature”.