Saint John native Jim Doherty was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame earlier in August.
Now, the man known as “Gentleman Jim” has been recognized by the city where he grew up.
Common Council presented his family with a plaque last week honouring his achievements and contributions to the horse racing industry.
Deputy Mayor Shirley McAlary told our newsroom Doherty never forgot his success — no matter how much success he had.
“It’s nice when somebody from our city — even if they go away to achieve what they want to achieve in their life, and they’ve been very successful — it’s really nice that they do keep in touch with their hometown,” McAlary said.
Jim got his start in the 1950s by helping their father — who ran a lumber mill and had draft horses — before going on to work for the late Milton Downey.
“He raced Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire, and he raced Foxboro, where he was the lead driver for years,” Jim’s brother, Bill Doherty, told us during an interview in April. “Then he went on to the Meadowlands [in 1976] and won over 1,600 races there alone.”
Doherty developed numerous champions during his career and drove or trained winners of 4,700 races and $45 million in purses.
His success got him inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, the Saint John Sports Hall of Fame, the New England Harness Writers Hall of Fame, and the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York.
“Anyone that achieves that outstanding success that somebody like Jim Doherty did I feel should be recognized by the city,” McAlary said.
2018 video biography of Standardbred Trainer/Driver Jim Doherty https://t.co/WCYEyFpnm9
— Horse Racing Hall (@Cdn_HallofFame) August 10, 2018
(Photo of Jim Doherty submitted by his family
