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The Sure Thing: The Greatest Coup in Horse Racing History
__________________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.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 15, 2020
The first seven chapters of this book spend so much time going round the houses that it's difficult for the reader to keep with the project.
Initially I gave up reading after the third chapter, frustrated at not being offered the chance to get to grips with the main part of the story and genuinely bewildered by what was going on.
Fortunately, at a later date I picked the book up again and decided to cut to the chase, which meant ignoring the windy start and picking things up at chapter eight, where the action really begins. From then onwards it's a much more pleasurable read, and for the most part I managed to stay with it.
Townsend is good when he's telling the tale of the two major betting coups that are the core action of the book. But otherwise there's too much scene setting and too much digression.
There's also far too much autobiographical information about the perpetrator of both coups, Barney Curley. In fact the author seems unable to decide whether he's writing a biography of Curley or a book about the coups.
In the end he goes for a mix of the two, when a shorter, sharper account of the betting intrigues, allied to some relevant information about Curley, would have done the job much better.
Initially I gave up reading after the third chapter, frustrated at not being offered the chance to get to grips with the main part of the story and genuinely bewildered by what was going on.
Fortunately, at a later date I picked the book up again and decided to cut to the chase, which meant ignoring the windy start and picking things up at chapter eight, where the action really begins. From then onwards it's a much more pleasurable read, and for the most part I managed to stay with it.
Townsend is good when he's telling the tale of the two major betting coups that are the core action of the book. But otherwise there's too much scene setting and too much digression.
There's also far too much autobiographical information about the perpetrator of both coups, Barney Curley. In fact the author seems unable to decide whether he's writing a biography of Curley or a book about the coups.
In the end he goes for a mix of the two, when a shorter, sharper account of the betting intrigues, allied to some relevant information about Curley, would have done the job much better.
July 12, 2020
BRILLIANT 😎
August 10, 2017
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!
July 2, 2023
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
March 2, 2018
Exciting
Great story, very entertaining but takes a while to get going. If you do not understand basic racing and betting terms then I would avoid. But credit to the author and collaborative team as the creation is bold and exciting.
Great story, very entertaining but takes a while to get going. If you do not understand basic racing and betting terms then I would avoid. But credit to the author and collaborative team as the creation is bold and exciting.
May 4, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyable ride through the life of a man who sustained himself, his family, horses and his charity work - by betting. No other income. A constant battle with the bookies resulted in some highly profitable, truly brilliant (and entirely legal) coups! I highly recommend this book.
May 17, 2020
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.
January 30, 2019
Interesting, but at times abstruse for this American reader.
August 20, 2019
I knew nothing of this story before reading this book - A fantastic true story - Should be made into a film!
January 2, 2020
Brilliant Read
For anyone who likes seeing the underdog win, this is for you. Well written and not too complex to deter the non gambler
For anyone who likes seeing the underdog win, this is for you. Well written and not too complex to deter the non gambler
May 4, 2021
If you love horse racing and having a flutter then you’ll love this book.
February 18, 2022
A must read for any Horse Racing / Betting fan. Barney is a legend in the game. Brilliantly written.
November 23, 2022
A brilliant book, on a brilliant character. Gives a detailed insight into one of the greatest minds in horse racing and provides details on his coups, charities and many other areas.
August 12, 2024
Really enjoyed this book and the detailed stories of Barney's big bets.
Very specific about horse racing so if you're not into horses there will be a lot of skimming.
Very specific about horse racing so if you're not into horses there will be a lot of skimming.
October 12, 2024
Absolutely fantastic
November 22, 2025
Pedestrian retelling of a gambling coup: would have made a good article in a Sunday paper, but there's far too much filler in here to hold interest all the way through.
August 7, 2015
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.
July 20, 2015
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.
I found this book reasonably interesting but I suspect only people that follow horse racing will really enjoy this book.
March 21, 2014
Intriguing. A book that delves into the most successful gambler out there. Fascinating
April 8, 2016
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.
August 22, 2021
4 stars
A fantastic book. A great read and recollection of a racing coup. Barney Curley is a legend of the game.
A fantastic book. A great read and recollection of a racing coup. Barney Curley is a legend of the game.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews