IRISH tycoon JP McManus has spoken of his great sadness at the death of Scottish bookmaker Freddie Williams, his regular sparring partner in the betting ring at the Cheltenham Festival.
Williams, 65, died of a heart attack at his home in Cumnock at the weekend, having spent the day working at Ayr races and then Shawfield greyhound track in the evening.
"It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Freddie Williams," sai
d McManus. "We had some jousts over the years at the Cheltenham Festival. Racing has lost a very colourful character. My thoughts are with his family."
It was a measure of his popularity as a bookmaker and personality that he would just as comfortably take £2 wagers from everyday punters as field bets stretching into six figures from billionaire McManus.
While other bookmakers would cower and look the other way when McManus came calling with his wagers, "Fearless Freddie" would welcome him with open arms, adopting the sporting philosophy of "you win some, you lose some" despite the enormity of the bets he was fielding.
Each March, all eyes would be on the gladiatorial arena of the Cheltenham betting ring as Williams took up his pitch in front of the main stand for National Hunt's greatest Festival, braced for the latest McManus move, while boldly ready to tangle with his adversary. The pair certainly tasted their share of victories and defeats, but through their dealings they formed a strong bond.
In an interview with The Scotsman two months ago, Williams said: "John (McManus] has had a lot of publicity out of it, and I think he enjoys the thrill of being there. I love the guy to bits, don't get me wrong, but he's given me a lot of sore heads."
The sorest of heads for Williams was the occasion McManus wiped more than £1 million from his balance – in the space of a few hours.
"He had had two winners earlier and won £700,000," Williams recalled. "He had four horses in the next race, it was a 28- horse race, and the outsider of the four was 50-1. He came in and had £5,000 each way at 50-1 to take £1 million off me in one day."
Williams could have been forgiven for saying enough is enough, thanking McManus for his custom, and politely closing his account. Not a bit of it, wounds were licked, and the pair were engaged once more in their personal battle by the time the Festival rolled round again.
He also owned race horses, dreaming of his own slice of glory perhaps, and had horses regularly stabled with former champion jumps jockey turned trainer Jonjo O'Neill.
O'Neill said: "I first met Freddie at Shawfield about 25 years ago and he's had horses with me for years, the latest being Donaldson. He was a good fellow to train for and he loved the game. He will be sorely missed."
Williams thrived on the buzz of Cheltenham: "I'm not getting any younger, to be quite honest with you, and these things take it out of you. But heading for Cheltenham and the Festival? You just can't get down that road quick enough."
In the days and week ahead, the loss of Williams will be acutely felt at the Scottish horse and dog-racing arenas he frequented, but when punters flock to Prestbury Park for the 2009 Cheltenham Festival, they will miss one of the true characters of the bookmaking industry. As McManus concluded: "The betting ring will be a much quieter place without him."
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The full article contains 605 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
