Every punter should know about Barney Curley

The man who landed one of racing’s most infamous gambles
 
I wrote in a previous article about several betting-related books which I would recommend any aspiring backer to study. Books which tell stories about some of the game’s most notorious gamblers, both past (Alex Bird) and present (Patrick Veitch).

Now all these guys, although some owned horses, were from the “public” side of the tracks. They were punters, backers, gamblers… they weren’t based within the industry as such.

One man who does bear further interest, who was very much part of racing industry, was Bernard Joseph “Barney” Curley.

And if you didn’t bear witness to his training and betting exploits (which sometimes seemed to be closely aligned, shall we say) then it’s well worth checking out the story of the legendary – and I don’t use this word lightly – figure within the horseracing and betting industry.

Now Curley died in 2021, aged 81. A flamboyant character, the trainer was rumoured to be behind numerous plots and gambles which were highlighted in the documentary – “Barney Curley: The Man Who Beat the Bookies”.

It centres on the story of the infamous gamble on Yellow Sam in 1975, which reportedly took the bookies for hundred’s of thousands – a lot of money now, let alone back then!

I would urge you to check it out, if you can.

Here’s a promotional clip of the hour-long programme…
 

 
Also, there’s Curley’s autobiography – “Giving A Little Back: My Autobiography” – which I’ll cover in my next list of gambling book recommendations.

But aside from this…

Searching on YouTube you can also find the time Curley took on the “racing experts” John McCririck and Luke Harvey live on air in 2005.

A wonderful piece of television and a great insight into the man.
 

 
Barney Curley was indeed a one-off. Someone who richly deserved their revered status within the industry, whether you’re talking about training, or betting for that matter.

A maverick who was a constant thorn in the side of racing authorities and bookmakers alike… and you’ve got to love him for that!

 

OPINION: Racing, like any sport, is full of characters… and there were few as outlandish, engaging, and controversial, as the ebullient man from Irvinestown, County Fermanagh. Curley was both the scourge of the establishment, hero of the punters. Someone who played the game by his own rules, and often came out the winner. He’s well worth checking out.