'He was still 100-1 at the post, so it was hopefully quite well planned' - renowned punter Patrick Veitch on a life in betting and a new venture

From "enemy number one" of the bookmakers to the best friend of syndicate owners; that's the transition Patrick Veitch is trying to make. Perhaps it's a shade premature to suggest that he's mellowing but the geeky ferocity with which he applied himself to extracting fortunes from Ladbrokes, Hills and the rest has now seemingly morphed into something more benevolent as he seeks to spread his racing interests beyond the single-minded realm of the punter.

Veitch has been involved from the start with the mass-ownership venture Raceshare and has committed to sourcing their equine talent until at least 2030. He describes himself as the largest shareholder in the business. An especially satisfying result came at the Ebor meeting, when Treasure Time carried the black, white and gold silks of Raceshare to victory in a big-field handicap worth £52,000 to the winner.

A three-figure number of owners were present, all naturally thrilled by their horse's late surge to glory under one of the weighing room's most charismatic figures, Tom Marquand, at one of the sport's finest venues. Veitch was present to witness their delight and found the experience very much to his liking.