Interesting read perhaps

[Old Timer]

I was reading the Christmas double edition of the Economist and among the many great articles was one on Barney Curley. In it they mentioned a couple of books that could prove interesting reading- especially given his initial choice of career path!

Giving A Little Back by Barney Curley (published by the RP I believe)

The Sure Thing by Nick Townsend - don't know who published this, but it's about his many coups.

[Kimmy]

Giving a Little Back: An Autobiography

by Barney Curley, Nick Townsend

About this title: Curley is the bane of the racing establishment, never afraid to confront authority, even at the risk of jeopardizing his own career, for the good of the small punter. In his autobiography, he recalls all the adventures that have made him part of horseracing folklore: the celebrated "Yellow Sam" sting of 1975; how he was jailed for running an illegal lottery but released on donating #10,000 to charity; his campaign against the Big Three high street bookmakers; his disqualification from racing; and how he lost #250,000 on one race in an unforgettable day in 1982. But there is also the human side to his story. Beyond the racing world he talks openly about how he watched his father go broke through gambling, and, in a moving account, recalls the tragedy of the death of his son, Charlie, in 1996.

[Kimmy]

The bookies always win. Yet, for over four decades Barney Curley has proved himself a rare exception. The country's most renowned and fearless gambler, a man who will back his judgement to win GBP100,000 and more on a single day, has consistently emerged triumphant from bloody skirmishes with the old enemy. In the summer of 1975 Curley masterminded one of the most spectacular gambles of all time, with a racehorse named Yellow Sam, costing Irish bookmakers around GBP300,000; the equivalent of some GBP2m today. No-one believed anything similar could be staged again this century. Bookmakers now have communications and technology in place to thwart any renewed attempts. But challenges inspire Curley and he was determined to beat the system - again. Thirty-five years later from his first coup, Curley set about staging an ambitious sequel to his Yellow Sam scheme. Curley has never divulged the full details of what happened. Now, for the first time, The Sure Thing reveals the complete story of the months of planning and preparation, with all the trials and tribulations, that went into the biggest organised gamble in racing history.

Publisher: CENTURY

[Old Timer]

Thanks for fleshing it out Kimmy