From Epsom to Tralee

Roy Gill was born in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey in 1938. His father Reginald was a milkman (horse-drawn, of course) but in his spare time was also an illegal bookmaker - at their local racecourse, Epsom, licences were sometimes overlooked and Reginald often worked on the Hill. Racing was an integral part of family life, but it was not until he was 12 years old that the young Roy was allowed to accompany his father to the races. From that moment he was hooked. After boarding school, Roy spent a short time in the Royal Navy before embarking on a career in bookmaking, learning the ropes at the London School of Turf Accountancy. Every spare moment was spent visiting racecourses - at first in England and eventually round to the whole of the UK and Ireland. The journey that began at Epsom in 1955 was completed at Tralee in 1992 when he had visited every racecourse under Flat and National Hunt rules, making a total of 107 meetings.

In 1955, Reginald Gill - milkman and part-time illegal bookie - took his 12-year-old son Roy to the Spring meeting at Epsom Downs Racecourse. It was a trip that started a life-long passion for racing,

Entries on every racecourse of the British Isles