Who is Richard Rowe?
Nowadays, Richard Rowe is best known as dual-purpose, although predominantly National Hunt, trainer, based at Ashleigh House Stables in the rural town of Storrington, on the northern edge of the South Downs, in West Sussex, South East England. Rowe campaigns a modest string with, by design, less than 30 horses in training at any one time. Indeed, he has spoken of the difficulties involved in keeping his operation financially viable in the past. Rowe enjoyed his most successful campaign, numerically, in 1992/93 , which was just his second season in the training ranks, when he saddled 23 winners from 167 runners, at a strike rate of 14%.
However, in recent years Rowe has found winners much harder to come by. Since 2011/12, he has not saddled more than five winners in a season and, in November 2023, made headlines when Ask Her Out – his only success of 2023/24 so far – sprang a massive 150/1 surprise at Lingfield, thereby bringing to an end a seven-month dearth of winners for the yard. Recent winners may have been few and far between, but earlier in his training career, Hampshire-born Rowe recorded several notable big race wins. At Graded level, he won the European Breeders Fund ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final at Cheltenham in April 1997 with Sir Dante, the Whitbread Gold Cup Chase at Sandow Park in April 1999 with Eulogy and, most recently, the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton Park in February 2000 with Hariymi.
Born in the town of Bordon, East Hampshire, on November 11, 1959, to a racing family, Rowe joined the late Joshua ‘Josh’ Gifford at his yard in Findon, West Sussex, as a stable lad, in 1976. He rode his first winner, Retaliation, at Stratford-upon-Avon on May 13, 1977, but got his big break – albeit under wretched circumstances – when, in July 1979, stable jockey Bob Champion was diagnosed with testicular cancer and immediately began a pioneering, but, in his own words, ‘barbaric’, programme of chemotherapy, which would prevent him from race riding for over a year. Champion, of course, returned to the saddle to score a ‘fairytale’ victory on Aldaniti in the 1981 Grand National, but, when he finally retired in 1982, Rowe took over as stable jockey at Findon.
By that stage, Rowe had already won the Anthony Mildmay, Peter Cazalet Memorial Chase (now the London National) at Sandown Park on Modesty Forbids in 1980 and the Whitbread Gold Cup, at the same venue, on Shady Deal in 1982. He would go on to forge a hugely successful association with Gifford for the best part of a decade and, by the time of his retirement from the saddle in early 1991, he had amassed a total of 554 career winners. The last of them was Super Sense, trained by Gifford, in the February Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown Park on February 2, 1991.
As a jockey, Rowe also won back-to-back renewals of the SGB Handicap Chase (now the Ascot Silver Cup) in 1985 and 1986 on Door Latch, owned by octagenarian Jim Joel. Burdened with 11 stone at Aintree, Door Latch was sent off 9/1 third-favourite for the 1986 Grand National, with the official racecard of the day stating, ‘…if he took to the fences he would have an outstanding chance.’ Sadly, he clearly didn’t, parting company with Rowe at the very first fence. In happier times, Rowe also won the Coral Golden Hurdle Final (now the Pertemps Network Final) on Pragada and the Grand Annual Chase on Vodkatini, both in 1988, the Mildmay of Flete Chase on Paddyboro, in 1989, and the Tote Gold Trophy (now the Betfair) on Deep Sensation, in 1990.
Casinos and sports betting have long been associated with glamour, excitement, and high stakes, attracting individuals from all walks of life, including some of the world’s most renowned celebrities. These glittering venues have served as a backdrop for legendary performances, dramatic encounters, and, of course, some rather flamboyant gambling stories. In this article, we dive into the world of celebrity casino tales, shedding light on why these establishments hold such allure for stars and sharing some of the most captivating anecdotes.
There are plenty of betting systems.