This McGrath has a different vocation

We all know Glenn McGrath to be one of the legends of Australian cricket, right? But there’s another McGrath, also an Aussie, who knows all the trades of another sport. What “Pigeon” is to cricket, Jim McGrath is to horse racing. He is not a jockey but the voice, or the Richie Benaud, of derby.

Jim has been a professional horse racing commentator for the past 40 years, and is considered the world’s best. And the 60-year-old UK-based Australian has come to India for the first time to lend his voice to the Mumbai derby.

“It was an honour for me to come here. I’ve read and heard a lot about the Mumbai derby, and it’s surely of a very high standard,” Jim told DNA.

Jim’s stint with commentary goes a long way back. “My father, who was a bookie, got me into horse racing, and I realised it was quite exciting to commentate on it. I first tried my hand in Melbourne but didn’t get many chances. Finally in 1973, I got my first opportunity in Hong Kong,” said Jim, who has commentated in 18 derbies in the UK, 10 in Ireland, 12 in Hong Kong and eight in France, besides greyhound racing.

When he’s not commentating on horses (or dogs), Jim dons the hat of a journalist. He’s associated with a leading daily in the UK, covering football, cricket, athletics and tennis, among other sports. “Commentating on horse racing is a lot more challenging than other sports, as it all happens so quickly. It’s more difficult, but also more fascinating,” he says with a smile.