Racing mourns loss of Jericho Cup creator Bill Gibbins

Racing Victoria and Country Racing Victoria have announced the passing of philanthropist and racing industry contributor Bill Gibbins following a long battle with illness. His loss will be felt across the racing community and beyond, with his passion for charity, history and racing leaving an indelible mark on the Victorian racing landscape.

Gibbins’s greatest racing legacy remains the Jericho Cup, which was run for the eighth time on Sunday at Warrnambool and won for the second time by Aaron Purcell-trained Farag. Having become enamored with the story of Bill the Bastard and the original Jericho Cup, a wartime desert race, Gibbins revived the concept in 2018 to honour the bravery and sacrifice of the mounted troops and their horses from World War I. In an extraordinary act of generosity, he funded the prizemoney and trainer bonus for the first four editions of the race with his own money, contributing over $1 million to establish what is now Australia’s longest flat race and a recognised feature closing out the Spring Racing Carnival.

Beyond racing, Gibbins’s charitable contributions were legendary. In 2007, when the Rats of Tobruk could no longer afford the upkeep of their Albert Park headquarters where they had held meetings for nearly 50 years, Gibbins outbid property developers to purchase the property and then told the veteran group they were welcome to stay as long as needed, stating he thought he’d buy it and let them keep it going because “we owe you a debt that can’t possibly be repaid.” The founder of family-owned transport company Full Container Load, which he sold to Linfox in 2006, Gibbins supported numerous organisations including Riding for the Disabled Association of Australia and Wheelchairs for Kids. He was awarded Member of the Order of Australia in June 2021 for significant service to horse racing and to people with disability, and both he and his wife Iolanda are life members of the Warrnambool Racing Club, with Bill inducted into the Club’s Hall of Fame in 2024.

Racing Victoria Chief Executive Aaron Morrison said Gibbins was universally loved and highly respected, with his contribution to both racing and the community impossible to understate. Country Racing Victoria Chief Executive Scott Whiteman described Gibbins as a great man and contributor who made sure service men and women received recognition through his Jericho Cup involvement, with his amazing legacy set to live on through the race and series he was instrumental in implementing at Warrnambool.