Personality Profile March 2002

Jim Marconi

The determination that saw Jim Marconi build a thriving business in Australia has also been responsible for his great success as an owner, breeder and trainer of thoroughbreds. As GRAEME KELLY reports in this profile, there have been few people in the history of Australian racing who have made a bigger impact on the sport.

IN the nearly two centuries of racing in Australia there has been a series of great trainers, beginning with Etienne de Mestre who won five Melbourne Cups including the first two runnings of the race in 1861 and 1862 with Archer.

  In the 140 years or so since, trainers such as James Scobie, Jack Holt, Maurice McCarten, Fred Hoysted, Tommy Smith, George Hanlon, Colin Hayes and Bart Cummings have made an indelible impression on the nation’s racing history. However, in the annals of the Australian turf, only “Honest” John Tait has a record better than the extraordinary degree of success enjoyed by Gilio “call me Jim” Marconi as an owner and a trainer.

  After being a leading owner in the 1850s Tait turned to training his own horses. His triumphs over the ensuing years included winning Melbourne Cups with The Barb in 1866, Glencoe in 1868, the 100/1 chance The Pearl in 1871 and with The Quack the following year.

  It is a story very similar to that of Jim Marconi, who also began his years in racing with a flourish. Not long after venturing into racehorse ownership he purchased the outstanding performer Taras Bulba at the NZ Yearling Sales. His victories featured the Rosehill Guineas and AJC Derby in 1974, as well as the Australasian Champion Stakes and Underwood Stakes the following year.

  In 1976 Taras Bulba continued on his winning spree to capture the AJC Chipping Norton Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes as well as the VRC Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

  However despite those successes Jim was, by that point, beginning to think he would enjoy training in his own right.

  An irrepressible character, he had to apply to the Victoria Racing Club six times before finally being granted an owner-trainer’s licence for picnic meetings at the beginning of the 1976-77 season.

  When he managed to register eight winners and three seconds from his first 11 starters he was granted an unrestricted owner-trainer licence and has continued on to further success in the years since.

  Jim’s successes have been headlined by wins at Gr.1 level with Rancho Ruler in the Manikato Stakes and VicHealth Cup, the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Manikato Stakes in 1992 with King Marauding, and the VRC Sires’ again in 1993 with Pride of Rancho.

  He has also won races such as the Adelaide Magic Millions, Carlyon Cup, Chirnside Stakes, Hill Stakes, QTC Lightning Stakes, Liston Stakes, Maribyrnong Plate, Memsie Stakes, Peter Pan Stakes, Queen’s Cup, Queen’s Plate, Sandown Guineas, Sir Byrne Hart Stakes, and VRC St Leger.

  Along the way Jim has also bred a number of top flight horses, who have all been by Rancho Ruler. These feature the Gr.1-placed stakes winner Delsole, the Gr.1-placed winners Sweet Delight. Rancho Spark and Prince Marauding as well as Dancing Sculptor, who was triumphant in the Mornington Cup at odds of 50/1.

  “I’ve won more than 500 races and more than 50 Group and Listed Races,” said Jim whose ability was eventually acknowledged by the VRC when he was granted an A-grade trainer’s licence.

  He is quite justifiably proud of his achievements and his record in racing over the past 30 years, especially considering he had no knowledge or interest in racing until after arriving in Australia in the mid-1950s.

  Jim was born and had his formative years in the picturesque Italian town of Caprino, near Verona, where he grew up with his elder brother Narciso and their younger siblings Luigina, Dina, Luigi, Dario and Natalina. He was just seven when World War II broke out, and although his childhood was happy it was a worrying period for Europe and everywhere else.

  By the time the dramas and tensions of the war were over, Jim had developed an interest in building and construction work. He had also fostered a love of sports including boxing (he was an undefeated amateur welterweight), cycling, soccer and running before entering national military service in 1951. After completing his duties in the army he began building and renovating a series of historic villas in the Lake Garda region of Italy.

  In 1956 Narciso set sail for Australia, and when he was injured on a building site about 12 months later Jim followed. Not long after Jim’s arrival his brother decided to return to Italy but even though he had planned to stay for only a few months Jim, fatefully, elected to remain.

  Times were difficult and for a while Jim survived on part-time jobs, including picking fruit and labouring, in South Australia and Victoria. It was during that period he started going racing in Adelaide with “a bunch of bricklayers” and, after backing a long shot winner, he became enthralled with the world of the thoroughbred.

  Leaving Adelaide for Melbourne in 1959 he began working for Imre Ambrus, a Hungarian builder. Imre and his wife Julianna had a lovely daughter named Piroska who quickly captivated Jim, and in October, 1961 they were married.

  The pair, who have four children Carlo, James, Teresa and Fiona, settled in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne where Jim concentrated on building villas and developing a marble floor tiling business.

  “I worked hard for myself and when one big job came along at Watsonia (a Melbourne suburb) I thought ‘this is my chance to make some money’,” he said.

  “By the time I’d finished the building construction company was broke and had gone into liquidation. I was paid tuppence in the pound, which made me feel sick in my stomach.

  “I said I’d never work for anybody else ever again. So I started as a bricklaying contractor and I began building the retaining walls around Port Phillip Bay. I also built up a business laying marble floor tiling and I never looked back after that.”

  Although he continued as a builder into the mid-1980s when he constructed 16 units in Mornington, he sold his marble floor tiling operation to Blue Metal Industries on a walk-in, walk-out basis in 1972. That enabled Jim to further indulge himself in the passion he had by then for racing.

  As the 1960s were closing he was able to race his first horse, the useful Court Sentence (GB) performer Celestial Court, and by 1973 Jim was sufficiently secure financially to be in a position to buy a “quality” yearling.

  On going to the New Zealand Yearling Sales he was taken by a lanky colt by Oncidium (GB) from the Bellborough (GB) mare Entrancing Belle.

  “I liked him because he looked like Herb Elliott,” Jim said. So against some “expert” advice he bought, for $13,500, his view of the equine version of Australia’s 1960 Rome Olympic Games 1500m Gold Medallist and world record breaker.

  “It was more than the price of each unit I was selling,” he said, “but I thought he was worth it.”

  He later had doubts though, when the youngster was “lost” on a NZ wharf and arrived in Australia looking thin and scruffy to the chagrin of Piroska who cried, “you paid $13,500 for that!”

  However on February 9th, 1974, a week after the birth of Fiona, Taras Bulba who was in George Hanlon’s care at that stage, won his first race and began his climb to stardom. By the spring, when he raced away with the Rosehill Guineas and Champion Stakes, he was regarded as the nation’s leading three year-old.

  Unfortunately for Jim and Taras Bulba, seconds to Battle Heights in the Cox Plate as well as to Haymaker in the Australian Derby and to Runyon in the Perth Cup at Ascot, followed.

  Showing his character and his resilience the horse was triumphant in the Australasian Champion Stakes and VRC St Leger in the autumn of 1975 and the Underwood Stakes, at Caulfield, in the spring. After that Taras Bulba was beaten into third place by Analight and Vicky’s Son in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington.

  Subsequently Jim elected to transfer the then four year-old to Sydney and the care of champion trainer Tommy Smith. He remembers it was also around that time that he began seriously considering the prospect of training his own horses.

  While in Smith’s care Taras Bulba went on his winning way in the VRC Queen’s Plate and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, beating Leilani in both races at Flemington, to become Australasia’s highest prizemoney winner.

  His sequence continued in the Harbour City where he won the AJC Chipping Norton Stakes and AJC Queen Elizabeth Stakes before going down, in the last stride, to Oopik in the Sydney Cup. That year Jim also won the AJC Queen’s Cup with Taras Regent, a Kazakstaan (GB) half-brother to his champion.

  Tragically, Taras Bulba suffered a second bleeding attack after finishing second to Red Ruffian in the Expressway Stakes, which led to him being sent to the United States. There he won a race by three lengths at Hollywood Park with the legendary Willie Shoemaker aboard, before ultimately going into retirement in America.

  It was at this stage, with his business interests booming, that Jim decided he definitely wanted to train his own horses so he purchased 11ha (29 acres) of land at Moorooduc on the Mornington Peninsula. Before long the property, named Taras Lodge, was transformed into a showplace for his family and his horses with a luxurious home, state of the art stabling, a track and a lake for swimming his team.

  However there were other problems to overcome such as securing a licence and gathering the required know-how.

  “I realised I didn’t have any experience so I went overseas and studied,” he said. “I watched training methods in the United States and Europe and learned a lot. Darcy Christie who was Tommy Smith’s Melbourne foreman in those days, also helped me.

  “I remember he asked me ‘Jim do you know a bit about athletics?’

  “I said ‘yes, I was a good athlete myself,’ and he told me to treat horses the way you would treat yourself. So I learned to watch what the horses wanted - they told me how to treat them.

  “I learned everything I know about horses from being with them and learning from them.”

  With that he took over the training of Taras Regent who provided him with his first metropolitan win, while others such as Fiddledee, Exaltara and Barbero, a half-brother to Golden Slipper Stakes winner Toy Show he bought for $15,000, were among his earliest winners.

  It was Easter, 1981 when Jim registered his first feature race victory with Aquatorial carrying his red, white and green hoops (the Italian national colours), to defeat Bencreato and Blue and White in the Victoria Handicap-Gr.3, at Caulfield,

  That year another major breakthrough in the racing industry started unfolding for him when he purchased a colt by Cambridge Stud’s second crop sire Sir Tristram (IRE) from the Hermes (GB) mare Mary for $12,500 at the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale. He was named Cossack Prince.

  “I bought Taras Bulba because he looked like Herb Elliott,” Jim said. “I bought Cossack Prince because he looked like Taras Bulba.”

  His judgement was, once again, correct and at his third racecourse appearance Cossack Prince was just beaten by the exceptional performer Grosvenor in the 1982 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.

  After winning successive races in Melbourne during April, Cossack Prince was edged out by Star of the Knight in a field of 20 contesting the QTC Sires’ Produce Stakes-Gr.1.

  Another second followed - this time to Golden Slipper Stakes winner Marscay - Cossack Prince was able to score in the STC Peter Pan Stakes-Gr.2. Then came a third in the Gloaming Stakes before a momentous victory over Australian Champion Racehorse Kingston Town in the weight-for-age STC Hill Stakes-Gr.2, at Rosehill.

  “That has been one of the greatest thrills I’ve had in racing,” Jim said. “Kingston Town was a true champion and that year he won his third Cox Plate.”

  Further Gr.1 placings were brought up by Cossack Prince in the AJC Spring Champion Stakes, Caulfield Guineas and Victoria Derby (to Grosvenor with Veloso eight lengths away third), before Cossack Prince notched a win in the Sandown Guineas. Not long afterwards Jim rejected an offer of $1.8m for Cossack Prince but he sadly did not win again.

  His performances included three consecutive Gr.1 seconds - in the VATC Underwood Stakes, Caulfield Stakes and Caulfield Cup - before a bruised tendon forced him into retirement with a record of five wins, nine seconds and three thirds for prizewinnings of $258,200.

  However there was no stopping Jim. At the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sales in 1986 he went to $20,000 for a brown colt by Rancher from Showdown (GB) mare No No Nanette. Named Rancho Ruler he careered away with the VRC Maribyrnong Plate-Gr.2 at his debut, but the fortunes of racing went against Jim later in the season.

  He was put away with the VATC Blue Diamond Stakes-Gr.1 (1200m) at Caulfield in mind and he finished second to Midnight Fever after his jockey Darren Gauci was injured on the morning of the race. Further seconds, to Kaapstad in the VRC Sires’ and to Christmas Tree in the STC Pago Pago Stakes-Gr.2 (1200m), followed before pastern problems brought a halt to his campaign.

  The trouble was again evident in the spring but, after a second operation, Rancho Ruler returned in devastating style in the autumn when he bolted away to a nine-length victory in the Doveton Handicap-LR (1000m) at Sandown. He subsequently went on to win the VATC Marlboro Cup-Gr.1 (1400m), Memsie Stakes-Gr.2 (1400m), Chirnside Stakes-Gr.2 (1000m) defeating Special, MVRC Manikato Stakes-Gr.2 (1200m) - subsequently Gr.1 - and QTC Lightning Stakes-Gr.3 (1000m).

  Disappointingly for Jim, Rancho Ruler also registered placings at Gr.1 level in the QTC Elders Handicap (1400m), BATC Rothmans 100,000 (1350m), VATC Oakleigh (1100m) and Futurity Stakes (1400m).

  Nonetheless his performances led to the horse being acclaimed as Australasian Champion Sprinter in the 1988-89 Four Year Old Classifications, from 1000m to 1200m.

  Jim retained a 75% interest in Rancho Ruler, who on his retirement, was placed at Blue Gum Farm at Euroa.

  The sire of winners of more than $14m, his progeny have included Jim’s 1993 VRC Sires’ winner Pride of Rancho, Delsole, who won the VATC Liston Stakes-Gr.2 (1400m) for him in 1996, QTC Mercedes-Benz-LR (1200m) winner Rancho’s Coup, and Sweet Delight.

  By 1991 Jim had unearthed two more exciting performers in King Marauding who was bought for $36,000 as a weanling, and Sparky Miss who cost $27,000 as a yearling.

  Purchased because he reminded Jim of World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Mike Tyson, King Marauding, by Marauding (NZ) from the New Regent (CAN) mare Wear The Crown, won the VATC Debutant Stakes-Gr.3 and Merson Cooper Stakes-Gr.3 in the spring of 1991.

  Then he was brilliantly ridden by Mick Dittman to win the VRC Sires’ before continuing on to capture the Chirnside Stakes and Manikato Stakes-Gr.1 at three.

  In the meantime Sparky Miss who is by Flash of Steel (IRE) from Miss Golly by Habituate (IRE), had provided Jim with the most lucrative reward in racing by winning the $736,000 Adelaide Magic Millions (1200m) in the last stride with Damien Oliver aboard.

  The following year, with Oliver in the saddle, Pride of Rancho won a second VRC Sires’ for Jim. Later he went down by centrimetres to Australia’s Champion Racehorse of 1993-94 Mahogany in the VRC Australia Guineas-Gr.1 (1600m) before adding the 1995 QTC Sir Byrne Hart Stakes-Gr.2 (1400m) to the stable’s ever-increasing list of feature races successes.

  Another record was, quite remarkably, established in 1996 when Jim created history by capturing the three - Owner, Breeder and Trainer - Nissan SuperVOBIS Premierships.

  The prizes for his extraordinary feat were three Nissan four-wheel drives.

  Having won two Nissans previously he was soon dubbed with the nicknames of ‘Jimmy Nissan’ and ‘Marconi Motors’.

  There were further thrills for Jim when his home bred Rancho Spark - by Rancho Ruler from Sparky Miss - developed into a classy performer who was able to win at stakes level.

  Among his present Gr,1 performers is Tycoon Ruler who was second in the Canterbury Guineas at Flemington on February 12.

  Having turned 70 last November, he is beginning to have thoughts about handing over the operation to his son Carlo in order to enjoy life in retirement away from the demands of training horses.

  In July 2000 - “we couldn’t bring ourselves to move for eight months after the house was finished,” said Jim - there was quite a wrench for he and Piroska when they moved from Taras Lodge to a magnificent home with expansive views, at nearby Mornington.

  “I don’t know if I need the hassle any more. I’m thinking of buying a boat . . . but who knows?

  “I still have some good horses in the stable.”