The Man who Beat the Bookies

[oldapple]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p ... he-bookies

As our host in this corner of Lemonfool and some snuggers are hopefully still interested in the occasional flutter, I really recommend this approx one hour long true story of Barney Curley from Co Fermanagh. He was indeed the talk of the country at the time amongst anyone remotely interested in horse-racing, including my dad, and I can see how he was such a likeable man (except with the bookies).

[terminal7]

I did meet (very much in passing) BC at the track on a few occasions over the decades. He certainly did not suffer fools gladly and it's worth taking a look at the clip of him having a real go at Big Mac and Luke Harvey:

https://www.facebook.com/AtTheRaces/videos/luke-and-big-mac-v-barney-curley/10155368644700379/

His biography is well worth a read. He was particularly shrewd in nurturing young talented jockeys - Dettori, Jamie Spencer, Tom Queally and Shane Kelly.

T7