Mug Bookies: will former bookmakers turned authors be quids in at Wetherby?

Two former bookmakers who are joint-authors of a racing book are hoping for a further sales boost when the horse bearing the title of their tale makes her debut at Wetherby on Tuesday.

Mug Bookies is set to run in a bumper (3.20) at the West Yorkshire track for David Watts and Johnny Winall, who both used to stand at tracks as independent bookmakers and have quite a tale to tell.

The book is described as an "intriguing insight into the world of sport and gambling" and takes in "some staggering tales and anecdotes from the Grand National, Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot".

Winall said: "I've had family pressure in the past to have a horse in training but I've kept clear as I thought it was a rich man's game.

"Then I had a bright idea that maybe I had reason now, as if I could find a racehorse that was any good and afford it, then I'd be able to advertise the book."

Things have not quite gone to plan as the book was launched in March and Mug Bookies was originally supposed to debut not soon afterwards, but she is now making her entrance nine months later.

He added: "We bought her on Christmas Eve a year ago with the idea being to run the horse in April, but we've had to sit and suffer. We've had vet bill after vet bill but hopefully we can get going.

"I put a 12-share syndicate together to find a good one. Some of the syndicate were into pedigrees and we went in that direction. We then stumbled across a man named Bryan Mayoh, who breeds and leases horses out.

"Initially he was not happy we were calling one of his horses Mug Bookies, but when we told him about the book he came around to the idea."

Mug Bookies: personalised horsebox

To maximise the advertising campaign, Mug Bookies, who is trained by Winall's nephew Joe Ponting, even has her own customised horsebox to be ferried around in.

Winall said of the daughter of Soldier Of Fortune: "I think Joe wanted to run her at Haydock initially, but the thinking is it may be better ground at Wetherby.

"I'm forever the optimist and hopefully she can run a nice race and give the book a bit of a push."

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