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New titles NOW HERE

New titles have now arrived at Gannon's, just in time for Christmas:

- Bart, My Life. By: JB Cummings
- Takeover Target: The Best $1375 Joe Janiak Ever Spent. By: Lyndall Crisp
- What are the odds? The Bill Waterhouse Story. By: Bill Waterhouse

More titles are still on their way, these include:

- Give a man a horse. By: Dianne Haworth

Reserver your copies today!

About the book
By: J B Cummings

In the pantheon of Australian sporting icons, James Bartholomew "Bart" Cummings AM stands alongside Sir Donald Bradman. Known to his tens of thousands of fans as the "Cups King", Bart is arguably Australia's greatest ever horse trainer. For over five decades he's been at the very top of his profession, yet the man himself remains a fascinating and intriguing mystery. Now, for the first time, he tells his extraordinary story – a story that will truly stop the nation.

In Bart: My Life, he recounts his early years as his father's apprentice, leading to his first Group One win in 1958. He never looked back. In over half a century as a trainer Bart has won over 250 Group One races – a staggering statistic. But the achievement that will almost certainly never be matched is his incredible tally of twelve Melbourne Cup wins, from his first triumph with Light Fingers in 1965 to Viewed's stunning victory in 2008.

But Bart means much more to the Australian public than just the sum total of his racing successes. From the highs of the racetrack to the lows of suspensions and near bankruptcy, Bart shares his unique perspective on an extraordinarily long period of Australian racing. Along the way he illuminates – with his trademark dry wit – the colourful trainers, jockeys and owners who populate the industry.

***

What are the odds? The Bill Waterhouse Story.
By: Bill Waterhouse

The tell-all tale - on and off the track - of a legendary man and his extraordinary family.

Description of book

The Waterhouse name is synonymous with Australian horse racing and bookmaking. For the first time, the family’s patriarch, Bill Waterhouse, tells the story of his remarkable life ‘playing the odds’.

Bill Waterhouse is a true Australian character who has spent a lifetime mixing it with the biggest names in sport, business and politics.

Whilst learning the bookmaking art from his father, Bill studied law and practised as a barrister. With his brothers, he built up a property empire, including Sydney’s biggest hotel, yet bookmaking remained his passion. By the 1960s he was Australia’s biggest bookie, and he remained at the top for over twenty years.

Renowned for never refusing to take a gambler on, Big Bill always attracted the high-stake punters. His gambling duels are legendary: from ‘Filipino Fireball’ Felipe Ysmael and the ‘Hong Kong Tiger’ Frank Duval, to the up-and-coming Kerry Packer.

In the 1980s, with son Robbie already a leading bookmaker, the Fine Cotton affair brought ignominy to the Waterhouse name. Although cleared of any wrongdoing, Bill was warned off racetracks for fourteen years. Here he reveals how deeply the affair hurt his family and his reputation.

Faced with adversity on all sides, Bill’s empire came under serious threat. He fought back and eventually returned to racing at the age of 80, training his grandson Tom as the fourth generation of the Waterhouse racing dynasty. With Tom, he again rose to be the largest on-track bookmaker in Australia.

Away from racing, Bill’s life has been equally eventful. He is the honorary consul-general for the Kingdom of Tonga and, having maintained an active role in helping the island nation for over 35 years, is now the longest-serving diplomat in Australia.

Filled with remarkable tales of the track’s greatest plunges, gamblers and stings, WHAT ARE THE ODDS is an outstanding memoir of an extraordinary life.

Reviews

“I have launched a thousand books, but this, I think, is the best book I have launched.”
The Hon. Neville Wran AC QC

“ The tome is so rich in salacious stories it could form the basis of a racy airport novel 10 times over.”
Fiona Carruthers, AFR

“Bill Waterhouse's book is about the rich and those he made not so rich, the honest and those not so honest. He names them all without fear and details his unconventional marriage and the family splits that divided the bookmaking empire. But none of those things have dampened the 87-year-old's enthusiasm or his love of the punt.
Caryl Williamson, The Sydney Morning Herald

On Fine Cotton
'I have often said if Robert was a girl he'd always be pregnant because he couldn't say no. He was a helpful person who always tried to do the right thing.'

***

Give a man a horse
By: Dianne Haworth

Sir Patrick Hogan is the only man to have been inducted into both the NZ and Australian racing Halls of Fame. A horse breeder with an internationally renowned stable of champions at Cambridge Stud, he is a member of worldwide racing royalty. Of Irish/Kiwi decent, his fortunes were built on an extraordinary partnership with another Irish export - an unlikely champion called Sir Tristram (stable name Paddy). Bought from Ireland to New Zealand, this feisty, difficult horse blossomed under his care and proved to be a world class champion racehorse, and a superbly successful breeding sire. His progeny, including one of Australasia′s leading sires, Zabeel, have won innumerable Class One races. In a book to rival Tears in the Wind, Dianne Haworth has captured the story of an amazing man and his extraordinary horse, within the highly competitive and hard nosed racing industry.

***

Takeover Target: The Best $1375 Joe Janiak Ever Spent
By: Lyndall Crisp

Back in 2003 when Joe Janiak attended a dispersal sale in Sydney he almost went home without opening his wallet. But whether through serendipity or plain good horsemanship, he was attracted to a bay gelding with a catchy name and a lot of attitude. Takeover Target cost the hobby trainer $1375 and, in the beginning, a lot of headaches. The four-year-old unraced thoroughbred had bad knees and a worse temper but all Joe could see was potential. He was sure Target could win a few country races. It took time, patience, care and a lot of love, but within a year they were blazing a path through racing's history books. And not just at country races. Six wins in a row, including the prestigious Ramornie Handicap, put them on the map. They became the darlings of the turf. Then Target's win in the Lightning Stakes in Melbourne in 2006 attracted international attention. He was on his way to England, where he won the King's Stand at Ascot, and then Japan, where he won the Sprinters Stakes. Takeover Target became one of the most travelled horses in Australia. He earned over $6 million, more than any other Australian sprinter, until a career-ending injury ended his dream run in July 2009.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 24 November 2009 )

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