From Epsom to Tralee: A Journey Round the Racecourses of the British Isles - Hardcover

Roy Gill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1909339075 ISBN 13: 9781909339071

Publisher: Medina Publishing Ltd, 2015

Synopsis

With a Foreword by Frankie Dettori MBE

In 1955, Reginald Gill - milkman and part-time illegal bookie - took his 12-year-old son Roy to the Spring meeting at Epsom Downs Racecourse. It was an outing that started a life-long passion for racing and set Roy on a mission to visit every racecourse in the British Isles. The journey that began a half-century ago at Epsom ended at Tralee in the west of Ireland in 1992, taking in meetings under both codes, Flat and National Hunt. Roy Gill has visited every racecourse in the UK and Eire at least once and continues to attend meetings whenever he can.

Many courses have been closed down, some have moved their location, but every racecourse he visited is vividly recalled in this very personal and highly readable account. He has returned to many courses, like Wolverhampton and Limerick, which have moved from their original locations.

Many years in the making - not least because the developments and changes to statistics taking place daily in the racing world necessitate constant updating! - this book is a veritable encyclopaedia of racing.

The author recounts the noteworthy occurrences and behind-the-scene stories of each venue - their highs and lows, heroes and villains, as well as personal anecdotes about the courses, the horses, the jockeys and trainers.

The book is beautifully illustrated with contemporary and archive photographs (many of them previously unseen and unpublished), illustrations and fascinating racing memorabilia.

Told with humour and passion, this entertaining and informative work is essential reading for all lovers of the Turf, and also shines a valuable spotlight on the sporting and social history of these sceptered isles.

About this title

Review:

I hope that you enjoy From Epsom to Tralee as much as I did. It is thoroughly researched and entertainingly told and is the ultimate guide to all of our individual racecourses. --Frankie Dettori MBE

An immensely enjoyable and instructive journey. --Sir Peter O Sullevan CBE

In telling the story of our racecourses, Roy Gill perfectly highlights the agony and the ecstasy of the world of racing. --Bob Champion MBE

About the Author:

Roy Gill was born in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey in 1938. His father Reginald was a milkman (horse-drawn, of course) but in his spare time was also an illegal bookmaker - at their local racecourse, Epsom, licences were sometimes overlooked and Reginald often worked on the Hill.

Racing was an integral part of family life, but it was not until he was 12 years old that the young Roy was allowed to accompany his father to the races. From that moment he was hooked.

After boarding school, Roy spent a short time in the Royal Navy before embarking on a career in bookmaking, learning the ropes at the London School of Turf Accountancy. Every spare moment was spent visiting racecourses - at first in England and eventually round to the whole of the UK and Ireland.

The journey that began at Epsom in 1955 was completed at Tralee in 1992 when he had visited every racecourse under Flat and National Hunt rules, making a total of 107 meetings.

About this edition

• Publisher: Medina Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1909339075
• ISBN 13: 9781909339071
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 264