115 years of Australia’s Hottest Racing
About Us
For the past 115 years, Cannon Park has been the home of the Cairns Jockey Club and has continued its commitment to local racing making it one of the top things to do in Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.
Originally owned by the Cannon family, the land where the CJC now sits was donated, with the first race meeting held in 1911. Records show that the first Cairns Cup took place in the early 1900's.
Our progressive racing strategy, combined with our dynamic events throughout the year is consistently increasing our on-course patronage and viewing audience providing even more value to our sponsors and spectators and making Cairns a must visit for Horse Racing in Australia.
Cannon Park boasts crowds of over ten thousand people during the peak carnival times and has many function rooms and hospitality areas.
Membership Renewal
$200pp
Runs from 1st January 2026 – 31st December 2026.
2026 New Membership Registration
$240pp
meet our
Committee
Tom Hedley
President
Warren Massingham
Vice President
Scott Byrce
Treasurer
Brett Cahill
Committee Member
Liam Carey
Committee Member
Bruce McDonald
Committee Member
David Galloway-Penney
Committee Member
Rebecca Conlan
Committee Member
Damien Nowak
Committee Member
Anthony Dall'Alba
Committee Member
Kate Fern
Committee Member
Our History
Ladbrokes Cannon Park Racecourse
The long and colorful history of the Cairns Jockey Club started in the townships Mining Exchange Hotel in July 1884.
Over fifty enthusiastic people signed up for membership and the very first race meeting was conducted shortly after. The day was proclaimed a holiday, and the meeting attracted attendees from as far afield as Herberton and Port Douglas.
The Cannon family generously donated the land where the club is currently located, with the first race meeting held in 1911. Records show that the celebrated Brothers Cairns Cup was first conducted in the early 1900’s, with only the war years interrupting the continuous running of this event.
In recent times several developments have taken place at Cannon Park. The grandstand was opened 15th July 1972, by the Minister of Racing the Honorable Sir Gordon Chalk KBE. It was shortly after that work was started to an extension which now houses the main public bar, tote office and windows, and the Barrier Reef function room. New improvements include the extension of the gallops track to 1800m, construction of the horse swimming pool, completion of the air-conditioned swab stall, upgraded stewards towers and installation of an improved semaphore board and photo finish systems.
In March 2006 the edge of Cyclone Larry whipped through Cannon Park causing minor track and building structural damage. Several sections of the running rail were twisted beyond recognition, and the work shed roof was ripped off, exposing the starting barriers to water damage.
On-course signage was damaged, as was the front gate ticket office. Nevertheless the saddest loss was for some of the magnificent fig trees in the tropical gardens. With office and bar buildings, and stables and tie-ups stalls escaping major damage, the club was fortunate enough to be able to continue trade.
A team of members, volunteers and workers ensured that the cleanup and running rail repairs were completed swiftly, allowing trainers to continue their horses work programs with minimal disruption.
Cannon Park has been the home to several smart gallopers who have graduated to becoming stakes place getters and metropolitan winners. These include recent Queensland Cup winner Regal Punch, and the north Queensland bred trio Strictly Smart, See You Twist and Dirtiere. The far north breeding ground does not stop with the gallopers. John O’Shea, Brian Mayfield-Smith and Jack Wilson spent their formative years honing their skills and talents at Cairns.
Cairns Amateurs History
The Cairns Amateurs Racing Carnival was an annual three-day celebration of fashion, food, entertainment and social activity, built around two days of horse racing at Cannon Park Racecourse in early September.
What began as a small amateur race meeting in 1959, designed to bring the city and country together, expanded over the years to become one of Australia’s premier spring racing carnivals. The Far North Queensland Amateur Turf Club became widely known as the Cairns Amateurs.
Over its 67-year history, the Cairns Amateurs grew to include a range of formal and informal social events, corporate functions, and hospitality experiences for members and the general public across both race days.
In 2024, the Cairns Jockey Club entered into an intellectual property licence agreement with Racing Queensland, marking the transition of the Cairns Amateurs Carnival into the Club’s operational structure under the guidance of a Steering Committee. This structure was established to preserve the Carnival’s rich heritage while enhancing its sustainability and appeal as a premier tourism drawcard for the Cairns region.
Through this collaborative approach, the Cairns Jockey Club and Steering Committee combined their expertise and resources to bring renewed energy and vibrancy to the Carnival.
The prize money offered across the race meetings attracted interest from throughout Queensland and consistently drew strong fields of new and returning participants. The two-day race meeting was traditionally held at Cannon Park Racecourse, while the social functions surrounding the Carnival varied in style and location.
The Carnival aimed to deliver events that appealed to the broader community, as well as to members and their guests. These events evolved over time to reflect the changing expectations of members, visitors and the general public.
The Carnival’s social events became some of Cairns’ premier annual functions, bringing together members of the community, government representatives, celebrities, business leaders and racing fashion enthusiasts.
Throughout its history, the Carnival sought to keep pace with growth in tourism and the local population. It aimed to provide the infrastructure required to deliver first-class racing and social events, attract visitors from across Australia, and support the continued promotion of Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef region.
The former Cairns Amateurs race dates were subsequently incorporated into the Cairns Jockey Club’s broader Carnival program, contributing to the creation of the Ladbrokes Cairns Super Carnival. This brought the region’s major racing events together under a combined Carnival program while carrying forward the history and traditions associated with the Cairns Amateurs.