Remarkable character from racing's scandalous past hard to pin down

The Stakes Were High – The Extraordinary Life of John Gully, from Bruiser to Bookie to Fine Old English Gentleman by Keith Baker
£9.99, published by Pitch – pitchpublishing.co.uk

What will this year's St Leger bring? Another shock, like the fall of hot favourite Idaho last year? Or controversy to match the disqualification – and subsequent reinstatement – of Simple Verse 12 months earlier?

Whatever happens at Doncaster, it's decidedly unlikely to match the scandalous brouhaha of 1827, when pioneering bookmaker John Gully attempted to pull a stroke. He bought the Derby winner Mameluke and backed him before word of the sale got out; reports suggested he stood to win £40,000. Fellow layer Crockford had stood some lumpy wagers and felt duped, particularly when contacts told him the horse was a certainty.