Random question leads jillaroo to Mount Isa judge

Jillaroo Leeusha Finlay had little to with thoroughbreds until a close friend asked if she would be interested in being a judge at Mount Isa Race Club meetings.

Until then her full-time job was mustering on cattle stations across the Gulf Country region.

That all changed when veteran Mount Isa Race Club photo finish operator Leonie Winks, who had captured noses crossing the line for more than a decade at the North West Queensland club, asked her about being a judge and Ms Finlay thought, ‘why not’.

Finlay said that although unsure what the job entailed, it would at least be another skill on her resume and a side gig to her mustering.

“Leonie mentioned that they were looking for an extra person, and since we're friends as well, I thought 'yes, why not'," she said.

“In this role I am also a second pair of eyes for Leonie. We double check that what we see on the cameras is correct.

“We take details of the margins and placings on a sheet, and make sure they coincide with the photo finish, and we hand that to the Stipes (stewards) and the Secretary.”

Her race day occupation could not be further removed from a Jillaroo, which included working cattle stations run by Ms Winks’ father.

Ms Finlay juggled both being a Jillaroo and a race day judge until she became a mother in 2020.

That’s when she has put being a Jillaroo on the backburner and now looks forward to working at the race club which conducts more than a dozen meetings per year, as a break from her day-to-day life.

She evens gets the chance to take her children along for a day at the races.

“I’m a stay-at-home mum now, and my husband works in the mines,” Ms Finlay said.

“Being a judge is enjoyable, and I have got to know the racing families in Mount Isa.

“And when I started, I was lucky enough that this was a paid role. It had been a volunteer role.”

Her enjoyable experience as a judge has sparked Ms Finlay’s interest in pursuing more thoroughbred racing roles.

She has undertaken training to use the photo finish camera and is keen to be schooled in other disciplines to expand her knowledge and able to step into many roles on a race day.

“I would definitely like more training in other roles,” she said.

“Leonie has shown me how to use the photo finish equipment in case she has to step away, but I am still in training.”

While her race day employment has been with Mount Isa Race Club, should circumstances permit, she would like to work at other racetracks in the district, although some are as far as an eight-hour return trip.

“I’m definitely open to working other tracks because it’s a good social trip, but it’s a bit inconvenient for me to travel at the moment with a young child,” she said.