The Sure Thing: The Greatest Coup in Horse Racing History by Nick Townsend


The Sure Thing: The Greatest Coup in Horse Racing History
Title : The Sure Thing: The Greatest Coup in Horse Racing History
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : -
Language : English
Format Type : Kindle Edition
Number of Pages : 418
Publication : First published June 6, 2013

__________________ The bookies always win. But one man has been proving them wrong for four decades. In the summer of 1975 Barney Curley, a fearless and renowned gambler, masterminded one of the most spectacular gambles of all time with a racehorse called Yellow Sam. With a meticulous, entirely legal plan involving dozens of people, perfectly timed phone calls, sealed orders and months of preparation, Curley and Yellow Sam beat the bookmakers and cost them millions. They said that it could never happen again. But in May 2010, thirty-five years after his first coup, Curley staged the ultimate multi-million-pound-winning sequel.The Sure Thing tells the complete story of how he managed to organise the biggest gamble in racing history - and how he then followed up with yet another audacious scheme in January 2014.

The Sure Thing: The Greatest Coup in Horse Racing History Reviews

  • Paul Grant

    This book is fascinating for anybody interested in betting or horse racing. The story of Barney Curley's career is neatly told and the recanting of tales of the betting coups is wonderful. The final story around the planning into the last coup is fantastic in its' detail and really well written. most enjoyable!

  • Rob Miech

    A fantastic, well-written tale that is actually two stories, two superb schemes to bowl over Britain's smart-ass bookies, who have long espoused a Euro model that has made it virtually impossible for the punter to win — which is what motivated Curley, a true one-off. Can't recommend this piece enough. Kudos, Mr Townsend

  • Tolkien InMySleep

    A legendary gamble in Ireland in 1975, and a follow-up in 2010 are the basis for an overlong account of the life and times of Barney Curley. It only really takes off with the forensic detailing of the coup of 2010, which is a real cloak-and-daggers story.

  • Diana

    Interesting, but at times abstruse for this American reader.

  • Allan Gibson

    If you love horse racing and having a flutter then you’ll love this book.

  • Lord Barrold Ainsley

    A must read for any Horse Racing / Betting fan. Barney is a legend in the game. Brilliantly written.

  • Nick

    I don't get the response that these coups are bad for racing or the punter in the street. We can still back them - we just don't? Or if we do, we get the 7/4 about a horse that was 16/1 but a winners a winner. There are bigger sharks out there than Barney Curley. The book is a decent read whether you have a flutter or not.

  • Wilde Sky

    A professional gambler’s betting scheme (multiple bets on combination of horses) is described in this book.

    I found this book reasonably interesting but I suspect only people that follow horse racing will really enjoy this book.

  • Liam Murphy

    Intriguing. A book that delves into the most successful gambler out there. Fascinating

  • Fiona

    This is a biography of a man who made his living running and betting on his own horses. Moderately interesting but didn't succeed in getting me to the finish line. I gave up at page 166.

  • Mr C J Jones

    4 stars

    A fantastic book. A great read and recollection of a racing coup. Barney Curley is a legend of the game.