Barney Curley died age 81

King of the gambles. Apparently did a lot of charity work

RIP

 

So much more to this chap than plotting monster gambles RIP

 

A life well lived

 

Echo the above sentiments, he certainly lived during his lifetime. May he rest in peace.

 

Apologies, I didn't realise this had been mentioned in yesterday's DT

 

Tributes to punter Barney Curley who won £1.5m in one of the greatest ever betting coups

Tributes have been paid to former trainer and punter Barney Curley, following his death at the age of 81.

Famed for his well orchestrated gambles on racehorses, in 1975 he pulled off one of the greatest ever betting coups in the sport's history. Yellow Sam was the thoroughbred he plotted out for a race at Bellewstown in Ireland, a plan which netted him £1.5 million in today's money. Given his name from his father’s nickname at the races, the horse contested the Mount Hanover Amateur Riders' Handicap Hurdle on June 25. On form, Yellow Sam appeared an unlikely winner, which led to his betting odds of 20-1. Curley's team simultaneously placed bets on the horse in around 300 betting shops, guaranteeing a large payout if it came off.

He chose Bellewstown for the coup, as the track was serviced by only two phone lines - one public box and a private line belonging to the company which supplied data to betting shops. The latter line was allegedly cut early in the day, meaning only the telephone box remained - which Curley reportedly sent one of his men to occupy by making fake inquiries about the health of a fictional relative just before the race. The shops were unable to get through to their on-course colleagues to warn them to lay off their liabilities – which worked a treat for Curley, who backed the horse in the ring at the track.

Curley told the Irish Mirror in 2015: “It was 40 years ago but I remember it as if it was yesterday. I just took a chance and it came off. “He (Yellow Sam) wasn’t a great, he was a moderate horse but jockey Michael Furlong got the best out of him. “It was just one of those things – you took a gamble and it worked well.
“But it launched me, it allowed me to go on to do a lot of other things. “I’m going to Bellewstown to see the play on Thursday, I'm looking forward to it.
“It’ll be strange to see myself on a stage doing the things I did 40 years ago.”

As a trainer, Curley celebrated a win in the 2000 Imperial Cup with Magic Combination, while he also tutored young jockeys including Frankie Dettori, Jamie Spencer and Tom Queally.

Sir Anthony McCoy led the tributes to him on Twitter, saying he felt 'lucky to have enjoyed his company,' while praising Curley for his 'well founded legendary status as a trainer/gambler' and his charity work in Africa.

Pundit Matt Chapman described Curley as 'one of the men who made racing a fascination by being fascinating,' while Jonjo O'Neill said he had been one 'of racing's great characters.'

Presenter Derek Thompson added: “So sad to hear of the passing of Barney Curley at the age of 81.
“His racing tales were legendary but the work he put in to help the poor in Africa was absolutely outstanding. RIP Barney.”