Published: Wednesday, 30th June, 2010 5:00pm

Cavan man behind betting coup

Time for a cuppa... Paddy Gaynor takes tea with his neighbours Hughie Reilly and Ivan Byres, Moynalty, at the Virginia Heritage and Vintage display on Sunday. Photo: Ian McCabe

A Cavan man was behind the recent betting coup at Kilbeggan Racecourse, which cost bookmakers almost €250,000, and he has them running scared as he claims he has plans to pull off another "tour de force".

Douglas Taylor is Cavan's answer to the likes of Barney Curley and P.J. McManus who have been known to sting bookmakers both here and across the water for large sums of money in major betting coups.

Mr. Taylor was the man who caught the bookies cold with his masterstroke and has stated that he did it "for the fun, not for the money". The idea was hatched a week prior to the race, while he was having a few pints with friends in his local in Co. Meath.

He claimed it was a dry run. "I'm going to do a bigger one." Douglas will have bookies all over the island in a cold sweat whenever they see one of his horses running.

He had been mulling over the scheme for a while but only decided to go ahead with it just before Kilbeggan. Douglas, who is the managing director of recruitment, security and services company, MCR Group, organised 200 people to enter bookies at a precise time and place their bets.

However, his plan almost unravelled before it was implemented. Douglas had given all individuals instructions as to what to do. "Three of them walked into one shop all with watches and white envelopes and the bookie panicked," he said.

It had been intended that at 6.55pm, just prior to the off of the race, the people he had hired would place the €200 bets in a series of bookmakers throughout Dublin and Kildare. It is understood that €30,000 was gambled on the horse 'D Four Dave' at odds of 14/1 but this price fell to 7/1 as the money poured on it.

Barney Curley pulled off one of the biggest coups ever back in 1975 at Bellewstown Racecourse in Meath. He had a horse called Yellow Sam and organised a massive gamble on it. There was only one telephone line at the track and it is claimed that Curley had someone on it so bookmakers could not inform those at the track that money was being gambled on Yellow Sam. His price remained high and Curley walked away with a vast sum.

Although Douglas may not be in the same league as Curley or McManus, just yet, he is sure to send a shiver down bookmakers backs whenever they see his horses running.