It seems rather like buying ones own furniture to build ones own castle, nevertheless that is what Richard Bellew did in 1472 – 1479 at Bellewstown.
Little remains of the castle today and Bellewstown is a sleepy corner of Co Meath except on race days in the first week of July and at the end of August. The racecourse, started in 1726, on the hill of Crockafotha has fine views of the Mourne Mountains, the Irish Sea and Co Meath. I went a few times in my childhood and enjoyed the informal atmosphere; more like a point-to-point than Punchestown.
Many punters dream of putting one over the bookies and that’s just what Barney Curley did in 1975 at Bellewstown. As he was going to bet his life savings (£15,000) he planned his coup meticulously. He bought Yellow Sam, named after his father, and instructed his trainer to prepare the horse specifically to win a handicap race at Bellewstown, where most of the other riders usually were amateurs. To get a low weight he entered Yellow Sam in a few races around the country that were not at all suited to the horse and on the day the bookies offered 20-1.
He chose Bellewstown because the racecourse was only served by one private ‘phone line to supply the bookies with information from betting shops and a public ’phone box. The former stopped working when the line was cut and a distressed friend of Barney Curley caused a lot of sympathy when he used the public telephone for half an hour before the race trying to get through to his fictional aunt dying in a Drogheda hospital. So Bellewstown was cut off from the betting shops although they noticed nothing unusual until ten minutes before the Off.
Curley issued an army of friends, acquaintances and paid accomplices with sealed envelopes, to be opened ten minutes before the race, containing between £50 and £300 and the name of the horse to be backed. Curley could not afford to be seen at the course but his investment was so substantial he sneaked into the centre of the course and hid in some bushes to savour Yellow Sam’s victory at 20-1. He won about £300,000 and the bookies couldn’t wriggle out of paying, although I doubt that would be the case today.
If you read The Times you may have read Barney Curley’s obituary yesterday. He had other successful betting coups but Bellewstown was the first and endeared him to the general public. Hats off to Barney.
Wouldn’t we all love to do that, successfully..
At about the same time across the water, William Hastings was building a castle at Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire (not too many yards from junction 21a of the M1) even though he already had a castle at Ashby de la Zouch (castle competiveness). It was intended to be a grand affair, built of brick and the largest brick building of its time. His wealth came from being a staunch supporter of Ed IV. Although he supported Richard, D of Gloucester as regent but not king, he was called to London on 13 June 1483 for what he thought was a routine council meeting and two days later was executed. There is a memorial on Tower Hill. Not surprisingly his son was slow in coming forward in support of Richard at Bosworth Field. I recounted the story the other day to an American colleague who responded that if this had been his family he would have kept quiet about it.