'The buzz of the ring was huge' - meet the former bookie now intent on his plan to save racing
Chris Cook meets Aidan Butler, brought up in the betting rings of Britain but now the boss at 1/ST Racing in the US
The coolest cat at Royal Ascot was a former bookie from the Midlands who has reinvented himself as a highflying racecourse executive in the US. The lanky frame of Aidan Butler was easily picked out as he strolled through the boisterous crowds, his usual Stetson replaced by a top hat, although even in a waistcoat and tails he still managed to appear more raffish than formal.
Those racing folk familiar with Butler's name all seem to know that he was once married to the supermodel Jodie Kidd. Relatively few are aware that his second, more durable marriage was also covered in glossy magazines, to a fashion journalist whose Instagram feed shows she was also wholly in her element at the royal meeting.
A breathless report of their nuptials began: "On New Year's Eve, one ambitious couple and 101 international guests met in the middle of the North Atlantic for an epic party..." So it can safely be said that Butler is familiar with the world of glamour and there is really nothing, by this stage, that is going to faze or intimidate him.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inInterviews
Last updated
- 'All anyone wants is a pat on the back and these awards show you mean something to the yard and the people there. It's brilliant'
- 'The doctor said take it steady - what's he on about? I'll be straight back knocking them in'
- 'I'm not retiring just yet. It'll come to me, I'm sure, but I hate idleness - I haven't had an idle moment in 60 years'
- Barry Dennis: 'In the car on the way to the races we'd go through our punters - how many bet in thousands, in five hundreds, in hundreds'
- 'All you can do in life is do your best - and if your best isn't good enough for some people, you have to move forward'
- 'All anyone wants is a pat on the back and these awards show you mean something to the yard and the people there. It's brilliant'
- 'The doctor said take it steady - what's he on about? I'll be straight back knocking them in'
- 'I'm not retiring just yet. It'll come to me, I'm sure, but I hate idleness - I haven't had an idle moment in 60 years'
- Barry Dennis: 'In the car on the way to the races we'd go through our punters - how many bet in thousands, in five hundreds, in hundreds'
- 'All you can do in life is do your best - and if your best isn't good enough for some people, you have to move forward'