Gentleman Jim officially calls time on the turf

By Jordan Gerrans

From humble beginnings in Tully to being regarded by his peers as one of the top racecourse managers in Australia, Jim Roberts has left a lasting legacy on the racing industry. 

The long-time turf boss at the Brisbane Racing Club officially called time on his tenure at the club this month after nearly four decades of service. 

The BRC ran a race to honour Roberts’ contribution on the Doomben city Saturday card earlier this month with Robert Heathcote’s Sultry Siren winning the prize. 

Roberts and his family were honoured on the day with the track specialist remarking that he was humbled by the occasion. 

Having begun his career in 1987, Roberts became Doomben's racecourse manager in 2010 before eventually taking oversight of both tracks.

The respected turf guru was recognised in 2016 at the Australian Racecourse Managers conference, winning the Outstanding Contribution to Racetrack Management award.

Looking back on the cherished gong, Roberts says it was a massive thrill to be awarded by his peers.

Known as Gentleman Jim for his humble nature, Roberts also guided the industry through the many challenges Eagle Farm has faced over the years, to now be racing consistently at a high level. 

The BRC’s Executive General Manager of Commercial and Racing Matt Rudolph lauded Roberts’ influence. 

“He has navigated some really significant challenges for the club, particularly through the Eagle Farm redevelopment of training and tracks,” Rudolph said.

“Jim led training over at Doomben while Doomben took up the bulk of the racing in that period when Eagle Farm was out of action.

“They were busy years for Doomben, having to shoulder the load while Eagle Farm was under construction for the stabling precinct and the tracks.

“Jim led the teams through that for the club and really in the last 10 years in particular, Jim’s contribution has been enormous.

“It was Jim and his team that really got Eagle Farm up and singing in 2021 after he took it over in his own right.

“Eagle Farm has become one of the great tracks in Australia and that is a feather in Jim’s cap to take on that challenge late in his career and really excel at it.”

Rudolph says Roberts has gained respect by his peers and the wider industry across Australia for his long-term service.

In retirement, Roberts is being acknowledged for his enormous service to the industry, with his job effectively being a seven-day-a-week role. 

But, it all started with a slice of luck all those decades ago.

From the age of 20 until he was about 30, Roberts worked on a cane farm at Tully in Far North Queensland driving a tractor and sugar harvesting. 

By chance, he was at a family barbecue in Brisbane and got talking to a friend of his father-in-law who worked at Doomben in those days. 

Roberts was asked if he could drive a tractor and if he wanted to start on Monday morning. 

“That was the 7^th of September in 1987 and I have been here ever since,” he said with a chuckle.

Roberts quickly rose through the ranks, working as a machine operator at the start, before becoming a team leader then racecourse supervisor.

“I was told by my boss at the time that I showed a bit of potential and I was offered the chance to do a grass management course,” he recalls.

“At that time I had thought about it but never thought about actually doing it.

“I went to college and got my certificates in track management and from there I just progressed to assistant racecourse manager, to racecourse manager and then eventually director of racecourses.

“It has been a bit of a journey over the years but a really good journey.”

Plenty has changed in Roberts’ 38 years in the game, as he pointed to technology as the biggest shift, including the way the grass is managed as well as plastic running rails for the track.

While the BRC are sad to see one of their great servants move on, club CEO Karl deKroo says Roberts has fostered a great team underneath him which will be able to shine now. 

Roberts’ long-term deputy Ross Smith will take on the role of Director of Racecourses.

“I think you can always judge someone’s contribution to a place with the way they leave it,” deKroo said.

“Jim’s legacy is the team he has built.

“I think that is the true part for Jim and while he is leaving our business, he is leaving it in great shape with the team around him.

“We are going to have a great transition there with the team under him who will take over now and Jim has been a person that has always been willing to share his knowledge and expertise.

“That is the case within our club but also in the wider industry, I think that’s a real mark of his contribution he has made to racing overall.”

The 70-year-old Roberts says caring for a racecourse is almost a ‘24-7’ job with the ‘living product’ needing to be looked after on a constant basis.

Roberts believes the BRC turf team that he has worked with for decades are ready to step up to the plate and shine following his retirement.

“If you look after your workers, you get results – that has always been my theory with my staff,” he said.

“Looking after those guys, you get good results on the ground as it were. I think that is one of the club’s greatest assets, it has been a great club to work for.

“I have never had any problems and I have been given free rein to look after the tracks.

“The broader management and senior leadership team have allowed me to do my own thing without too much intervention.

“Without that help and support, by the club, I wouldn’t have been able to do half the stuff I did.”

Roberts has left the door open to do some casual work at the club in the future.