Barney Curley

News needs to be special if it is going to knock the horses off the top spot, even for a short while, during Breeders' Cup week. The story which was able to do that was the announcement of Frankie Dettori's imminent retirement and his plans for the future. That is understandable because Frankie has been big news throughout his fabulous career. Arriving in Newmarket aged 14 in 1985 to join the stable of his compatriot Luca Cumani, Frankie was already an experienced and race-winning rider in Italy by the time...

The Barney Curley Charity Cup, featuring teams led by Frankie Dettori and Willie Mullins, will be held at Bellewstown on Wednesday, Sept. 27. The racecourse has already raised over €200,000 for Curley's charity Direct Aid for Africa (DAFA), and the second edition of the contest will raise money for the charity. Each team consists of seven jockeys, who will go head-to-head over two races, sponsored by Gannon City Recovery & Recycling Services Limited and The Gallagher Group. Points will be awarded to the first six placed horses on a scale...

Former trainer and professional punter Barney Curley has passed away at the age of 81. The Irishman, known for his famous bets, carried off arguably the greatest betting coup of all time when Yellow Sam won at Bellewstown for Curley in June of 1975. Born in Northern Ireland on Oct. 5, 1939, Curley found much success beating the bookies as a racehorse owner and also trained from 1984 to 2012. In 1996, Curley launched the Direct Aid for Africa charity (DAFA), which aims to improve the education and healthcare of...