Jim Bolger is one of Ireland’s best-known racehorse trainers, with a status that reaches far beyond these shores. He has trained winners of Group 1 and classic races across the globe. Not only is he a champion trainer, he is also one of Ireland’s top breeders, with many of his horses having become some of the best known in the world.

A breeder

Unlike many in the breeding and racing game, Jim’s knowledge of horse racing was not inherited. Growing up on a mixed farm with work horses in Co Wexford, Jim had a natural affinity with horses and was determined that one day he would work with the animals that he had come to adore. What makes Jim differ from his training counterparts was that it wasn’t his original destined profession, having trained to be an accountant as a way to finance his passion. He wanted to make enough money to buy horses. With a background in finance, Jim understands the importance of the racing industry to the Irish economy. Jim, along with his old apprentice, Wille Mullins, are the biggest employers in any sector within a 20-mile radius. The Longines Irish Champions weekend this September is a testament to this, bringing top-class races, trainers and jockeys to Irish soil, with huge prize money as a reward.

A trainer

Jim started riding and training show-jumpers before racehorses in the Phoenix Park and later established his own world-class yard in Coolcullen, where he has been training for 40 years. He chose this site with purpose, being the 42nd property he looked at. Being at altitude, it hails to be the best hill for training horses in Ireland.

Today, he employs more than 120 people between his three properties and trains over 200 horses each year. Since 1977 he has trained more than 2,500 winners and currently holds the record for the greatest number of flat race winners in a season.

A family man

It’s a family affair for the Bolgers – Jim’s daughter Una shares his passion for horses, having ridden ponies when she was younger and later riding out the thoroughbreds. Kevin Manning, Una’s husband, is Bolger’s stable jockey and is to thank for much of the stable’s success. Not to forget Jim’s wife Jackie, who owned many of the stable’s most successful horses. Jim’s ambition was always to support his family and to stay working with horses. And with a deep faith, Jim’s charity spreads a lot further from home, as one of the main organisers of the Irish Cancer Society’s Hurling for Cancer, which has raised €550,000 to date.

A Master

Not only is he a top trainer and breeder, but he is also a great teacher and is renowned for his support in mentoring young people. He was a mentor to champion jockey Tony McCoy and champion trainer Aidan O’Brien among many other notable young people involved in the industry. He is a master of his trade. Being a true leader, Jim believes that through hard work, operating at a high standard and always looking for improvements, anything is possible.

A trainer, a breeder, a family man or a master: whatever the title, it’s fitting to say that Jim Bolger is the very definition of a gentleman. CL