The 25th William Hill Sports Book of the Year award sidestepped the footballing legends of past and present to instead fall into the lap of Jamie Reid and his true story of the 1960s Racehorse Doping Gang called ‘Doped’.
Jamie Reid is a very proud man this morning after taking the top prize in the 25th Annual William Hill Sports Book of the Year award for his ripping yarn Doped: The Real Life Story of the 1960s Racehorse Doping Gang.
Reid picks up £25,000 and a whole host of other pleasantries after coming out on top of a short list that included literary offerings from the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Jimmy Connors and Sebastian Coe.
“I honestly didn’t expect to win. The standard of competition is so high. All of the books on the list are fascinating and I just thought it was great just to be a part of the short list.” Reid said moments after his victory.
William Hill spokesman, and co-founder of the award, Graham Sharpe said: “Jamie Reid’s brilliantly constructed book lures the reader into his masterly recreation of late 50s/early 60s England in which social class counted for far more than workplace competence. Nowhere more so than in the historically class-ridden world of horseracing. ‘Toffs’ ruled the roost in outwardly posh, yet archaic, stables and racecourse stewards’ rooms, but were constantly at financial and social war with cunning, street-wise, working-class ‘bookies’, who were tolerated only as outlets for personal wagers, the settling of which was frequently lax when losing.
“This background, generously scattered with sex and drugs and royalty, is the setting for a perfectly researched, paced and plotted unraveling of probably the most shocking, cynical, sustained attempt to dope – sometimes fatally – innocent racehorses and endanger jockeys for personal gain, to come to light in the 500 year history of the sport of Kings, Queens and commoners.”
Doped: The Real Life Story of the 1960s Racehorse Doping Gang is a fast paced thriller that tells the tale of a crooked bookmaker nicknamed Roper the Doper, his mistress Micheline Lugeon and their elaborate scheme to fix major horse racing events in the 1960s.
The judges praised Reid for his impeccable research and in depth creation of the books lengthy cast of characters. Reid, a self confessed lifelong punter, writes a regular column for the Financial Times and is an author of a series of books that includes the 1992 William Hill Sports Book of the Year nominee A License to Print Money: Journey Through the Gambling and Bookmaking World.
‘Doped’ beat an impressive list that included a lot of people’s favorite ‘I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic,’ whose excerpts found a lot of exposure on the back pages of the tabloids in recent weeks.
“I feel almost embarrassed because William Hill endow this prize and my book is about book gaming villainy.” Said Reid.
