Reuben Brothers increase their wealth by £578m to feature in the top 20 in the Sunday Times Rich List

Property tycoons David and Simon Reuben are Britain's wealthiest individuals connected to horseracing with the owners of Arena Racing Company (Arc) worth £24.977 billion according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List published on Friday.

The brothers, who are in their 80s, increased their combined wealth by £578 million in the last year, pushing them up one place to third in the overall list of the super rich.

Four other figures with racing connections feature in the top 20 of this year's Sunday Times Rich List, although they have experienced contrasting years with their fortunes.

Simon and David Reuben, billionaire owners of Arc

Kirsten Rausing, the owner of Lanwades Stud near Newmarket, and her brother Jorn, increased their wealth by £634m to £12.634bn, although they ranked 11th this year, compared to ninth in 2023. Lord and Lady Bamford, owners of construction machinery giant JCB, leapt to 19th in the Rich List from 32nd after their fortune jumped by £1.75bn in the last year to £7.65bn.

The Coates family, who are the majority owners of bet365, are worth £7.467bn this year, a drop of £1.328bn from last year. They are the 20th richest family as ranked by the Sunday Times.

There was an even greater loss of wealth by Sir James Dyson, the vacuum entrepreneur, whose fortune decreased by £2.2bn to £20.8bn in 2024. While Dyson is not actively involved in racing, he owns Compton Downs gallops in Berkshire.

A number of figures from across the worlds of racing and gambling feature in this year's Rich List, many of whom have increased their fortunes since the rankings were published in 2023.

Georg von Opel, who runs his racing and breeding operation under the Westerberg title, maintained his fortune at £2.083bn (rank 81), while holiday parks tycoon and former trainer Peter Harris, who landed the 1896 Duke of York Stakes with Mill Stream this week, increased his wealth by £90m to £1.74bn to move him into the top 100 (98).

Georg von Opel: worth more than £2 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich ListCredit: Laura Green

David Sullivan, who runs his horses under the name Roldvale Limited, boosted his wealth by £50m to £1.168bn (150). Barry Hearn, whose wife Susan owns Mascalls Stud, is a re-entry into the Rich List with £900m (185) and Patricia Thompson, the owner of Cheveley Park Stud, is worth £873m, a drop of £11m from last year (195).

Other owners who feature on the Rich List are Michael Tabor (£800m, 212), Martin Hughes (£753m, 220), the co-owner of Shaquille, Lord Vestey (£730m, 228), Tony Bloom (£716m, 233), John Deer (£560m, 270), Steve Parkin (£515m, 280), Lord Lloyd Webber (£513m, 282), Andy Bell (£400m, 324), Dai Walters (£400m, 328), Jeff Smith (£376m, 337) and Eric Gadsden (£375m, 337). The King, who featured on the list for the first time last year, increased his wealth by £10m to £610m (258).

The Rich List also features Brian and Luke Comer, whose wealth increased by £6m to £919m. Last year Luke Comer, an owner and trainer, was banned for three years and fined €840,754 after 12 of his horses tested positive for anabolic steroids. Comer appealed against the findings having claimed contamination as the source, and continues to have runners while the appeal is pending.

Tattersalls director Andrew Russell, the Duke of Bedford, boosted his wealth by £21m to £801m (210), while Paul Day and his family, who sponsor the Turners Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, are worth £857m (201), up by £171m from last year.

Property developers Ian and Richard Livingstone, who are investors in Evolution Gaming, increased their fortune to £6.293bn (28) in the last year, while Pokerstars co-founder Mark Scheinberg is worth £4.675bn (41) after his wealth grew by £342m.

Playtech founder Teddy Sagi is worth £4bn (47), unchanged from last year, while brothers Peter and Fred Done, whose firm Betfred sponsors the Derby and St Leger, are now worth £2.38bn (76), which is an increase of £507m from last year.

Ruth Parasol, the founder of Party Gaming, and her family are worth £780m (214), the same as in 2023. Will Roseff, a shareholder in bet365 and owner of last season’s Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle winner Nemean Lion, is worth £437m (306), down £69m from last year.

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