'He was everything to me' - Frankie Dettori pays tribute to Barney Curley

Frankie Dettori paid a heartfelt tribute to his friend Barney Curley, an important mentor throughout his illustrious riding career, following the death of the legendary punter and trainer on Sunday at the age of 81.

Curley will forever be associated with the Yellow Sam coup at Bellewstown in 1975, which involved blocking the only public phone at the track and was said to have won him the equivalent of £2 million in today's money.

Curley also owned horses and after taking out his training licence in 1985, he supported the development of several young jockeys in Newmarket, including Dettori, Jamie Spencer and Tom Queally.

Barney Curley, legendary punter and former trainer, dies aged 81

"Barney was part of my life for more than 30 years and he took me under his wing when I was a kid," said Dettori. "He was a great man and cared deeply about other people's lives. I'm very close to his family and was with him for the last few days before his death.

"He was a very colourful person and was a mentor to me – in life and in racing. I travelled the country with him and had some great times. He guided me to the good path in life and in my racing career. It's so sad but I've tried to put on a brave face as he would have expected.

"I could talk for a week about all the things we did and all the things he taught me – he was everything to me. I left Italy on my own and he was responsible for getting me the job with John Gosden in my early 20s. He guided me right through to the end and I'll miss him."

Barney Curley: set up Direct Aid For Africa charity which does invaluable work in ZambiaCredit: Edward Whitaker

Spencer was similarly influenced by Curley and said he hoped the trainer would be remembered for the work of his charity Direct Aid For Africa, which continues to support communities in Zambia.

"I've known for him for 24 years, firstly through his great friendship with the Stack family," said Spencer. "He influenced my decision to move to the UK around 20 years ago. He always kept in touch with my mother after I moved to update her on how I was getting on.

"He didn't suffer fools gladly but had a heart the size of the universe and wanted the best for you and he did a lot for a lot of people – and probably did a lot more that will never become public knowledge.

"He was a tremendous man and I hope he's best remembered for his charity work in Africa. Anybody who has been fortunate enough to witness his work in Zambia will tell you how fantastic it was. He lived a brilliant life and his legacy will live on through his charity."

From left to right: Jamie Spencer, Barney Curley and Brough Scott in Zambia in 2006Credit: Edward Whitaker

Sir Mark Prescott trained alongside Curley in Newmarket and singled out his "unusual and inventive mind" as one of his defining qualities.

"He was a great man," said the trainer. "He was the ultimate man of contradictions. He was the first person to think of putting his house up for a raffle and it made about three times the money. That was probably the first time he made a real impression on the news.

"He had an unusual and inventive mind, and that presented all sorts of contradictions. He originally wanted to become a monk as he loved the ritual of the church but despised the authority of it. He loved racing but also loved cocking a snook at the authorities.

"He masterminded the art of filling a telephone box before anyone else had thought of it so the one phone at the track was unavailable. It was a method used later on by other people but he was the first.

"Barney also had an eye for great horses and was a mentor to all sorts of people – he took a real interest in helping young people. In the latter half of his life, he was devoted to his charitable causes in Africa. He lived his life to the full and only he could have lived it.

"He was fiercely loyal and if somebody messed up, he never sought to blame them – blame was a waste of time. He was far too complex and contradictory for there to be another Barney, more's the pity."

Barney Curley obituary: 'He got under people's skin but men like him are few and far between'

Trainer John Butler spent several years as Curley's assistant and still rents his Little Heaven Stud, where Curley died peacefully on Sunday.

"He was good to me when I arrived in Newmarket around 18 years ago from Aidan O'Brien's," said Butler. "He gave me a house to live in and showed me the ropes. Everyone respected him around the town.

"He was a law unto himself. He spent a lot of time thinking about stuff, which was the main thing about him. He would have been a great ambassador for the sport if he was in charge of British racing. It would be in a different scenario as he had lots of great ideas.

"He was good to people and had a close group of friends – I've never heard anyone say anything bad about him. He was one of a kind. There will never be another Barney Curley, not in a million years."

Read more on Barney Curley:

Alan Byrne: not only did Barney make the world more interesting, he made it a better place (Members' Club)

Long list of winning gambles contributed to the popular legend of Barney Curley

'Nobody will win as much on horseracing this century' – the very best of Barney

'Someone clearly told him what John was saying and he came storming out'

Yellow Sam: a perfectly executed gamble that netted Barney Curley a fortune

The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a three-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday