Barney Curley: Giving a little back

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.