Johnny Lights interview

From the blurb:-

Johnny Lights was an omnipresent larger than life professional gambler on British racecourses for decades, one of the biggest players, and later, layers on the rails. He's suffered from ill health for the last 13 years but was keen to tell his fascinating story.

In Part 1, Johnny talks about how he inherited the nickname that he'd be known by on racecourses for decades and relates a story which involves a very nice pair of crocodile shows and a racecourse interaction with none other than Barney Curley who said he should swap them for hobnails.

Nothing exactly exciting in that interview, I felt a little sorry for the guy laying there in bed. Hopefully his health improves..

I don't think he will make it to part 5, my grandad looked better than him after being dead for 2 days!

Part 2 is up and Johnny has put his glasses on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap2p8vdbLmU

From the blurb: Johnny talks about his background in London, his illegal bookie father and a winning court case, selling out of a suitcase on Oxford Street, clerking at the dogs and his love of a short one.

MoL DG.sad to John got his illness in HOSPITAL.

Thanks are due to @wingerwanger who is responsible for these interviews. Not sure why he cuts them up into five parts; maybe he thinks punters have a limited concentration span so each part is about a staying chase long.

What did he mean about following Barney Curley around York racecourse stuck to him like glue
Was he waiting to see what BC was backing?

Was waiting to see what Barney was backing.

Thanks Cloone.
When Johnny says "funny story" don't expect one
Good luck to him though, it is obviously a struggle for him atm

Thanks for the comments guys. It was a hard interview to do because I, like many of you I expect, remember Johnny in his prime, a real legend in the betting ring. I have had a few negative comments about interviewing him as sick as he is. Please don't let that put your off watching it. Johnny wanted to do the interview and talk about his life. He's had calls from people from back in the day he's really enjoyed talking to on the back of it. In part five he says how much he still enjoys his life and betting. It was an honour for me to talk to one of the most colourful betting ring characters of years gone by. He does tell some excellent stories. https://www.starsportsbet.co.uk/bettingpeople-johnny-lights/

Unfortunately no subtitles, so I can't follow the interviews, being stone deaf these days.

One of the ways Lights was so shrewd on-course was that he understood the value of being polite - it costs nothing, but gets you plenty. You'd be standing half a dozen steps up the stands at Plumpton, watching the Ring, and the huge, black-coated figure would slowly make his way up to join you.

"How have you been doing? Yes?! That's good. What do you think of this favourite, then?"

"Well, I can't find anything to back against it, but I wouldn't want to take anything less than evens."

"Thank you very much," he'd reply, and the big man would descend the steps again a little bit more quickly, knowing that if the 'value' punters thought the favourite should be evens, it was in fact a rock-solid twos-on shot.

But here's the thing - he would have a word with Dudley Roberts, and he'd get his twelve thousand to eight on, or whatever, but without the price flickering in the Ring. He was polite, treated you with respect, and, best of all, he was never flamboyant - he never ruined the market, as far as I could tell. For a pair of big hitters, he and Dudley were remarkably discreet.

Well, until they were sheltering from the rain in the course betting shop between races (this is Plumpton, remember - rain was a permanent feature). Then the entertainment would begin as they bet four-figure sums against each other on odd or even trap numbers in whatever dog race was showing.

Steve Hamilton was the 'value' punter with whom Lights had a formal agreement, paying for his tissue. I remember Hamilton kipping overnight at my place once when there were consecutive days of racing in the West Country. This would be over thirty years ago now, but I still recall earwigging the conversation, as Hamilton relayed his tissue to Lights:

"Yeah, I'd make it evens John ... well, yeah, okay, let's call it four to five ... mmm ... mmm ... okay, John, but whatever you do, don't take shorter than four to six ..."

He did love a shorty, did Lights.

Thank you, Ramruma!

That'll teach me not to automatically delete every 'Great New Features In Chrome' pop-up without ever reading one.

John Henwood bet without at Wimbledon for many years, he was standing next to Tony Morris.
Morris would put up say 4/1 Trap 1, Henwood would then go 5/1 the one dog without the jolly just to wind him up!

screaming...'the value of being polite'. How right you are. Like u say, it costs nothing but gets you plenty. A great shame so many of the younger generations think being aggressive and 'in your face' is the way to get on. It isn't.

Overall, these interviews with JL are hard to watch because I can remember him from the 1980's around the rings and now to see him so old and infirm is pretty sobering.

I do recall one day,though, coming home from Plumpton in the 1980's and driving around a Jaguar car that was, it turned out marooned, on the country road. I pulled up and it was JL with his driver.

I couldn't help other than give the driver a lift to the nearest village while JL stayed with the car. They obviously got themselves out of bother eventually because JL was at Sandown the next day!

Part 4 (of five): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU5Q2P2DmDA

The blurb: Following the 'hot members' in the betting ring who ended up following him, losing £180,000 on Micky Fletcher's pitch thanks to Dettori's magnificent seven and a funny story about his great friend Gary Wiltshire's untidy hod causing problems at an airport.

This chap?

#BettingPeople Interview STEVE 'RUCKER' NOYCE Professional Punter 1/4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkLVI7C9tvs

As a person who has been betting on horses since the 60s I have seen a lot of punters come and go
the only person who I got on their tail was an Indian-looking chap who I was told was the son of a Maharaja
he was active in the 60s and was mustard only ever went flat racing I did see him again a couple of times later on in life coming back from the races and found myself in the carriage with him so asked him where had he been.
He told me that he had been doing other things he was friends with a racing journalist whose name I can't remember but I do remember he drove a Volvo car some might know who I am talking about.
John Gough knew what he was doing, in the 70s he had a service called Goughs Guide where you would ring up and he would give you his prices my friend paid for the service, and from what I remember it was quite good.
I traveled around the county every day for years with Eddie The Shoe I saw more of him than my wife he did his thing and I did mine at the end of the day we both ended up on the right side.
John The Beard was also very successful he was not very happy when Steven Little packed up as he was one of the few Bookmakers who would take his bets. Big Alan has got a living from the game for years and is one of the few pros that still goes to the course from back in the day.
Steve Lewis Hamiton is one of the few people who if I saw him on the course would have a chat about the card.

I get both with him and against many times, often at Lingfield.

He was a good mark, if he drifted one of was shorter than the rest.

I bet with John Henwood too for many years at Wimbledon, though for lesser stakes.

Both through the 80s and 90s when I was putting for real.

I had some good night's with John but you wouldn't get the better of him.

Johnny details his descent from Betfair hampers to Betfair anti-money laundering demands.

Just seen that Johnny sadly didn't make it....