Curley is among the reputable and celebrated punters in horse racing betting. His unmatched success in betting has made him a great annoyance to the bookmakers. His sterling performance in the betting industry can be traced to a night spent at Belfast race track more than 40 years ago. On that night, Barney’s father who was a grocer by profession decided to gamble. He placed a huge bet on one of his dogs. However, the dog fell and broke its neck just after the first bet. He was haunted by the scene of his dad walking out of the track while clutching the lifeless dog. The results were discouraging yet they acted as the major driving force that pushed Curley to join in his own league where punters are involved.
As a result of the heavy debt that was incurred by the daring bet, his father took him from school to be working in a Manchester-based plastic factory based in Manchester for two shifts a day. Barney was the eldest of his siblings. He stayed with his father at Manchester and worked until all the gamble debt was paid off.
Barney recalls that he was hurt by the outcome of the bet but he accepts that he learnt whet honor and pride means from his father who would no have returned to Ireland until he completed paying everyone he owed. He claims that every winning bet he places is retribution to the suffering that was placed upon him by the bookies as well as the burden he was compelled to shoulder for 15 months.
Barney established betting accounts with bookies across the globe. He got his most notorious joy in late 1980’s. William Hill made it clear that he was not ready to continue conducting business with Curley. This was caused by the fact that Barney had scooped above £200,000 with the previous couple of years.
Barney got established in the business as a punter after trying many professions. By the tender age of 24 years, he started managing bands. Finally, he included in his plate a few betting shops and pubs. He later found that the betting shops and pubs were not enough. He closed the shops and migrated southwards to the border where he began his punting profession into overdrive.
He understood that he needed to be unique in order to make money and he was also determined to accomplish his goal. He was convinced that as a race reader it was able to crack the system. The first big win he first made amounted to £80,000. Nonetheless, the amount took less than six months to have vanished. This was when he learnt that drinking and gambling are two incompatible things.
The biggest venture that Barney ever organized in Ireland was the infamous `Yellow Sam’ coup. He acquired almost £300,000 in this single endeavor. This was a race organized on 25th June, 1975 in Bellestown which is a small country Track located on the northern side of Dublin. They were taking off-course stakes of up to £50.
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