A member of one of Australia’s great racing families, Jim Munro was apprenticed to his father Hugh, who trained the winner of the 1901 Melbourne Cup, Revenue. As a 17-year-old, Jim had his first major success when he rode Prince Charles to victory in the 1922 Sydney Cup. In the same season he was runner-up in the Sydney Jockeys’ Premiership with 51 winners.
During the next 15 years he was associated with many of the great horses of the Australian turf, including Phar Lap, Windbag and Amounis. His big race successes included two Melbourne Cups, two Doncaster Handicaps, three Epsom Handicaps, the Metropolitan Handicap, Newmarket Handicap, the VRC Derby and AJC Derby, four AJC Oaks and the VRC Oaks.
Troubled by rising weight, Munro accepted a number of offers to ride abroad in the 1930s – particularly in Germany and India, where he enjoyed considerable success. In 1938 he retired from riding and commenced a career as a trainer.
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