Northern Irish bookmaker Pat O’Hare has died

O’Hare was well-known at Irish and British racecourses.

UK.- The horse racing fraternity in Ireland and the UK has paid respects following the death of the bookmaker Pat O’Hare, who ran a number of retail bookmakers and racecourse betting pitches during his career. He famously broke the British record for a betting pitch when he paid £235,000 for a rails position at Cheltenham back in 2001.

He established his first bookmakers in Newry in the early 1950s. He received a licence to operate in the Republic of Ireland in the late 1950s by establishing residency in Carlingford and went on to become one of the top five bookmakers in Ireland from the mid-60s to the late 70s, working the likes of Leopardstown, Fairyhouse and Galway.

The Newry Democrat reported O’Hare’s son Robert O’Hare as saying: “Dad loved a bet and he loved laying a bet. He loved football and he always liked horses. His biggest bet was Tenby in the 93 Epsom Derby who finished 10th. His favourite jockey Mickey Kinane won the race. He phoned me after the race saying ‘that was disappointing as he wanted it to be beaten a short head.’ He always loved having a bet on football. Having said this if anyone wanted to bet on cricket, baseball, American football absolutely because he loved laying a bet.

“Dad was in the box, which is what you would call where you would stand and take bets, into his 80’s. His last day at the race was when he was 80 as he loved it that much. Having said that my father never really retired as he was self-employed and he was talking business up to about four weeks before he passed away. He was 93 when he passed but he was betting on the United Spurs match around about Christmas.”

See also: Irish racing still concerned over Betting Regulation Bill