[Other Sport] Harry Findlay - Gambling For Life.

I’ve just finished reading this book and I can thoroughly recommend if you’re looking for some reading material currently. If you have an interest in anything sports or gambling related then it’s a must read.

This guy has lead a very interesting life and done some incredible things, including of course owning Gold Cup winner ‘The Tank’ Denman. He also famously had £2.5m on New Zealand to win the 2007 Rugby World Cup (they lost in the QF to France by the way) not to mention hundreds of other sports bets that would make even the hardest of gamblers sweat.

Back in 1998 in the build up to the World Cup he was skint and desperate to get some funds together for the tournament, he phoned his mate and then signed over his family home for a £90k loan to bet with! He turned that £90k into millions and got his house signed back over interest free straight after the tournament. His mate = the one and only Tony Bloom...

Our Tony plays a very big part in the book as Findlay was a part of the rise of Asian Handicap betting with him and they were very close mates and partners for a while until their friendship fractured in a dispute over their horse ownership partnership! (Harry had to sign another house over to Tony after that one)

Loads more of interesting stories and much which explains how and why Tony became such a success. I won’t spoil any more detail in case anyone fancies reading it but interestingly they were predicting that TB would be chairman and get us to the PL long before many of us knew who he was. He also says that there is no way that Brighton can get relegated with that man running the club

Must read this, met him a few times at Hove dogs years ago. Bet one story not mentioned about him and a very well known and respected greyhound owner at Hove.


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Thanks for the heads up

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Bill Cassidy's tie up said:

Must read this, met him a few times at Hove dogs years ago. Bet one story not mentioned about him and a very well known and respected greyhound owner at Hove.


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He mentions Hove dogs a few times, what shines through is his absolute love of Greyhound Racing, what that man doesn’t know about dog racing almost certainly isn’t worth knowing. He ended up owning Coventry Dog track and was mortified by the politics involved and ultimately ended up bankrupt as a result.

Also talks very movingly about his favourite thing in the World - being his dog Big Fella Thanks which won the Irish National Coursing Derby, something he treasures more than the Gold Cup Win.

What’s the story at Hove Dogs, can you share or not?

Leegull said:

He mentions Hove dogs a few times, what shines through is his absolute love of Greyhound Racing, what that man doesn’t know about dog racing almost certainly isn’t worth knowing. He ended up owning Coventry Dog track and was mortified by the politics involved and ultimately ended up bankrupt as a result.

Also talks very movingly about his favourite thing in the World - being his dog Big Fella Thanks which won the Irish National Coursing Derby, something he treasures more than the Gold Cup Win.

What’s the story at Hove Dogs, can you share or not?

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Just googled the book, sounds brilliant my holiday read in two weeks. The O'Drisscolls from Skibbereen, I've been in Dennis's company a few times, they seem to own half the town lol.
Can't mention the Hove dogs thing but think a few on here will know what I'm on about. Big Fella Thanks I owned a very small share in on one of his pups.


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Bill Cassidy's tie up said:

Just googled the book, sounds brilliant my holiday read in two weeks. The O'Drisscolls from Skibbereen, I've been in Dennis's company a few times, they seem to own half the town lol.
Can't mention the Hove dogs thing as don't think it ever went to court but sure a few on here will know about it. Big Fella Thanks I owned a very small share in on one of his pups.


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Sounds like you’ll enjoy it even more than I did then. The Irish angle sounded completely mad, boy do they party over there. I was pretty naive to what coursing was before reading the book but having googled that race since, it’s nothing like what I expected.

Was your Big Fella pup any good, did he make the track?

Was your Big Fella pup any good,

He won a course at Blarney but wasn't going to be good enough to be top class unfortunately. Didn't have the pace up. The Irish lads who were the main owners kept him and he won a few around Curraheen Park Cork on the track but only low grade.

17 minutes 50 secs in, and Harry Findlay talks about Tony Bloom

Seagulltonian said:

17 minutes 50 secs in, and Harry Findlay talks about Tony Bloom

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That’s brilliant thanks, I’ve not seen that before. I’ve just watched the Tony Bloom bit, interesting what he says about Tony and Willy Mullins. I’ll watch the rest later. Cheers