Jon Franklin's Blog
October 24, 2025
A tribute to Alderbrook, 1995 Winner of The Cheltenham Champion Hurdle
Every racing fan has a favourite horse that wins its way into their affections and in my case this horse was Alderbrook, a grand bay, who died in 2008 at the grand old age of nineteen. While there were better horses running on the flat in his time and some better hurdlers around too, there weren’t many. Alderbrook possessed all the attributes that I looked for in a thoroughbred; courage, bravery and above all, a big, big heart. There was also something of the unconventional about him that appealed to me too. Unraced at three, he started his career in modest company on the all-weather surface at Southwell. He finished unplaced. It took him another four races until he recorded his first win, a grade six handicap at Goodwood, partnered by Paul Eddery.
Had Alderbrook been human rather than as a horse, his school teachers would have referred to him as being a ‘late developer.’ In stark contrast to his humble beginnings, within two years of breaking his duck he had won the Group 2 Prix Dollar at Longchamp at the Arc meeting. Two years later aged six, his maverick owner Ernie Pick decided he wanted Alderbrook retrained as a hurdler. Many at the time within racing thought that Pick was mad, not least Alderbrook himself probably. But Pick was adamant that this was the right path for his pride and joy. In order to help him with this change of racing codes, Alderbrook was assigned a guru; not a spiritual one, but a jumps guru, a man called Yogi Breisner, who was employed to help Alderbrook to jump hurdles cleanly. After a lot of practice, this is something that Alderbrook was soon not just able to do, but to do at high speed. Well, usually. When Alderbrook didn’t clear a hurdle neatly, he would just plough right through it and unperturbed, carry on running towards the next one. As I say, Alderbrook was tough; tough and stubborn too. If Alderbrook had been a singer, he’d have been Frank Sinatra because he always did things his way. Eventually satisfied that his hurdling would hold up, his trainer Kim Bailey entered Alderbrook for The Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at the 1995 Cheltenham Festival.
From a betting point of view, my money always felt safe when it was invested on Alderbrook. As a winner of fifteen of his thirty races, he was one of those rare horses that I was able to bet on with my heart as well as my head.
‘A novice hurdler will never win The Champion Hurdle!’ all the experts cried, around two months before the big race. Well, that isn’t what Alderbrook’s owner Ernie Pick believed, nor the stable staff at Kim Bailey’s yard who, the Racing Post reported, had started betting on Alderbrook to win the Champion Hurdle in the ante post lists at huge double figure odds. Around this time, I was a hard-up student in Nottingham studying Photography. Despite having a part time job at William Hill to help support myself, my meagre grant was already running low. I had been about to invest the crumpled up tenner in my sweaty palm on that day’s racing. But upon reading about the ante post activity on the Champion Hurdle, I strode into my nearest branch of Ladbrokes and following the advice of those stable lads and placed two pounds each way on Alderbrook at 33/1 to win The Champion Hurdle. I collected my betting slip and went for a pint in a pub across the road. Twenty minutes later, I returned to Ladbrokes and placed another two pounds each way at the same odds before returning home to my squalid student digs.
Come the big day, Alderbrook slammed the Champion Hurdle field by five lengths under a brilliant ride by his jockey Stormin’ Norman Williamson at 11/2, a fraction of the odds I’d backed him at. I was ecstatic. In winning The Champion Hurdle, Alderbrook showed all of his best attributes inside the nine minutes it took him to win the race; all of his courage, all of his bravery and the whole of his big, big heart. He brought nothing but joy to those closest to him that afternoon; provided Norman Williamson with his first Cheltenham Festival winner, made Ernie Pick feel vilified for sending him hurdling when everyone else thought he was crazy and rewarded Kim Bailey with his first Champion Hurdle win as a trainer. As for me, Alderbrook became a friend for life. My 161 pounds winnings went a long way in 1995. I paid up some back rent, invested in some really nice photographic paper, had a night to remember at my local with some friends and, best of all, avoided a potentially awkward meeting with my bank manager about an overdraft extension. Nice when bets work out this way. It’s the memory of them that no doubt maintain our interest.
#bookstagram
#cheltenhamfestival
#books
#alderbrook
#horseracing
#writerslife
#author
Had Alderbrook been human rather than as a horse, his school teachers would have referred to him as being a ‘late developer.’ In stark contrast to his humble beginnings, within two years of breaking his duck he had won the Group 2 Prix Dollar at Longchamp at the Arc meeting. Two years later aged six, his maverick owner Ernie Pick decided he wanted Alderbrook retrained as a hurdler. Many at the time within racing thought that Pick was mad, not least Alderbrook himself probably. But Pick was adamant that this was the right path for his pride and joy. In order to help him with this change of racing codes, Alderbrook was assigned a guru; not a spiritual one, but a jumps guru, a man called Yogi Breisner, who was employed to help Alderbrook to jump hurdles cleanly. After a lot of practice, this is something that Alderbrook was soon not just able to do, but to do at high speed. Well, usually. When Alderbrook didn’t clear a hurdle neatly, he would just plough right through it and unperturbed, carry on running towards the next one. As I say, Alderbrook was tough; tough and stubborn too. If Alderbrook had been a singer, he’d have been Frank Sinatra because he always did things his way. Eventually satisfied that his hurdling would hold up, his trainer Kim Bailey entered Alderbrook for The Grade 1 Champion Hurdle at the 1995 Cheltenham Festival.
From a betting point of view, my money always felt safe when it was invested on Alderbrook. As a winner of fifteen of his thirty races, he was one of those rare horses that I was able to bet on with my heart as well as my head.
‘A novice hurdler will never win The Champion Hurdle!’ all the experts cried, around two months before the big race. Well, that isn’t what Alderbrook’s owner Ernie Pick believed, nor the stable staff at Kim Bailey’s yard who, the Racing Post reported, had started betting on Alderbrook to win the Champion Hurdle in the ante post lists at huge double figure odds. Around this time, I was a hard-up student in Nottingham studying Photography. Despite having a part time job at William Hill to help support myself, my meagre grant was already running low. I had been about to invest the crumpled up tenner in my sweaty palm on that day’s racing. But upon reading about the ante post activity on the Champion Hurdle, I strode into my nearest branch of Ladbrokes and following the advice of those stable lads and placed two pounds each way on Alderbrook at 33/1 to win The Champion Hurdle. I collected my betting slip and went for a pint in a pub across the road. Twenty minutes later, I returned to Ladbrokes and placed another two pounds each way at the same odds before returning home to my squalid student digs.
Come the big day, Alderbrook slammed the Champion Hurdle field by five lengths under a brilliant ride by his jockey Stormin’ Norman Williamson at 11/2, a fraction of the odds I’d backed him at. I was ecstatic. In winning The Champion Hurdle, Alderbrook showed all of his best attributes inside the nine minutes it took him to win the race; all of his courage, all of his bravery and the whole of his big, big heart. He brought nothing but joy to those closest to him that afternoon; provided Norman Williamson with his first Cheltenham Festival winner, made Ernie Pick feel vilified for sending him hurdling when everyone else thought he was crazy and rewarded Kim Bailey with his first Champion Hurdle win as a trainer. As for me, Alderbrook became a friend for life. My 161 pounds winnings went a long way in 1995. I paid up some back rent, invested in some really nice photographic paper, had a night to remember at my local with some friends and, best of all, avoided a potentially awkward meeting with my bank manager about an overdraft extension. Nice when bets work out this way. It’s the memory of them that no doubt maintain our interest.
#bookstagram
#cheltenhamfestival
#books
#alderbrook
#horseracing
#writerslife
#author
October 16, 2025
(Looking For) The Heart of Shouting The Odds
I was an enthusiastic participant (as well as a casual observer) in the world I write about in my first novel, Shouting The Odds. During the mid-1990s, the period in which the book is set, my favourite artist was Tom Waits. His music and lyrics were a good fit for my working environment, because the ‘last chance saloon’ ambience prevalent in many of the betting shops I worked in, mirrored the low-brow world that inspired so many of his finest songs. The array of chancers, desperate dans and down on their luck desperados who inspired them shared much in common with the punters I took bets from each day at work.
One can find references to racing and betting throughout his lyrics, though the song ’Jockey Full of Bourbon,’ despite its intriguing title, isn’t one of them. Unlike the protagonist at the centre of the song ’Drunk on the Moon’; a ’cigar chewing charlie in a newspaper nest, grifting hot-horse tips on whose running the best.’ Or the love- smitten character from the song ’One From The Heart’, who ’goes down to the corner to buy a Racing Form, (though) I should probably wait in by the phone.’ The music of Tom Waits not only provided the soundtrack to my life during my betting shop past, his songs provided comfort during the tougher days, of which there were many.
An idea for an novel can come from the most unexpected of places, as can the influences upon ones writing. Sometimes we are not even conscious of where these ideas and influences that inspire us come from. A couple of years after writing Shouting The Odds, I re-read it. I thought about the story arc, the plot and the themes at the heart of the book. My young protagonist Andy falls in with a gang of outsiders & underdogs. A bond is formed, enabling him distraction from the feelings of loss, betrayal and heartbreak that have been threatening to engulf him. Ultimately, the open road ahead offers him the best way to escape his broken family ties in search of a better life. It struck me that Shouting The Odds came straight out of Tom Waits territory.
Had I not been tuned-in to Waits’ skill for writing so eloquently about life’s outsiders, underdogs and chancers, I may never have had the confidence to set my book in the ultimate ’last chance saloon’ - the high street betting shop. Belated thanks then Tom, for pointing me in the right direction – like Andy - out of the rainstorm and in through the betting shop door, where my novel begins.
#instagrammers
#booklover
#bookstagram
#instawriters
#tomwaits
One can find references to racing and betting throughout his lyrics, though the song ’Jockey Full of Bourbon,’ despite its intriguing title, isn’t one of them. Unlike the protagonist at the centre of the song ’Drunk on the Moon’; a ’cigar chewing charlie in a newspaper nest, grifting hot-horse tips on whose running the best.’ Or the love- smitten character from the song ’One From The Heart’, who ’goes down to the corner to buy a Racing Form, (though) I should probably wait in by the phone.’ The music of Tom Waits not only provided the soundtrack to my life during my betting shop past, his songs provided comfort during the tougher days, of which there were many.
An idea for an novel can come from the most unexpected of places, as can the influences upon ones writing. Sometimes we are not even conscious of where these ideas and influences that inspire us come from. A couple of years after writing Shouting The Odds, I re-read it. I thought about the story arc, the plot and the themes at the heart of the book. My young protagonist Andy falls in with a gang of outsiders & underdogs. A bond is formed, enabling him distraction from the feelings of loss, betrayal and heartbreak that have been threatening to engulf him. Ultimately, the open road ahead offers him the best way to escape his broken family ties in search of a better life. It struck me that Shouting The Odds came straight out of Tom Waits territory.
Had I not been tuned-in to Waits’ skill for writing so eloquently about life’s outsiders, underdogs and chancers, I may never have had the confidence to set my book in the ultimate ’last chance saloon’ - the high street betting shop. Belated thanks then Tom, for pointing me in the right direction – like Andy - out of the rainstorm and in through the betting shop door, where my novel begins.
#instagrammers
#booklover
#bookstagram
#instawriters
#tomwaits
October 12, 2025
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Races - Tales Of The Turf, the Chester May Meeting, 2004
A few years back, I was working as a photographer on behalf of Chester Racecourse at their excellent May meeting. I stayed at a bed and breakfast in the leafy green district of Queens Park on the banks of The River Dee, a ten minutes’ walk from the racecourse. On the morning of the first day of the meeting, Chester Cup Day, I woke to a wet and drizzly Cheshire morning. I dressed quickly and unperturbed by the weather, headed out in search of a copy of the Racing Post, to browse through over breakfast before heading off to the meeting.
Under a flimsy umbrella, I set off through the rain in search of a newsagents. It was around seven thirty in the morning and there wasn’t a soul around. As I approached the picturesque art deco Queens Park Bridge, a tall stooping man emerged from a pathway ahead of me to my right. He wore a brown trilby hat and was walking a small dog on a lead.
As he approached, he looked at me and in a cheerful voice said: ‘Good morning’.
‘Good morning,’ I replied and with that he was gone. As I made my way across the bridge, his face reappeared in my mind. It looked vaguely familiar though try as I did, I was unable to put a name to it.
Later that day I stood poised with my camera inside Chester’s small winner’s circle. Their marketing manager had requested some photographs of a winning horse, smiling jockey and jubilant connections entering the winners enclosure. For this purpose, I had chosen The Cheshire Oaks race. Though the rain had long since stopped, the first day of the meeting was taking place on good to soft ground. I followed the race as it unfolded up on the big screen. As the runners charged up the home straight, it soon became clear to me that an upset was on the cards, as a filly called Hidden Hope, the outsider of the field, got the better of Menhoubah and Crystal Curling close home. As the result was made official, I scrunched up the betting slip in my pocket.
A swathe of well-wishers swarmed over to where I was stood to catch a close up look at the winning filly. I was quickly surrounded by other photographers and journalists. We were soon jockeying for position for a picture or a quote from the winning filly’s trainer. After the third and second placed horses were led by, there was a short pause in proceedings. I raised my camera to eye level and waited for Hidden Hope and her connections. Moments later they arrived. First came a mud splattered Ted Durcan, smiling broadly, donning his cap to the on looking crowd, sat aloft upon the glistening Hidden Hope. I pressed the shutter button and my motor drive triggered into action. Next came two immaculately dressed girls in navy blue outfits, bearing the sponsors name across their silver-coloured sachets, quickly followed by an excited looking couple whom I took for being Hidden Hope’s owners. They were busy congratulating a tall, stooping man sporting a brown trilby hat. As I continued taking pictures, it simultaneously struck me who the stooping man in the brown trilby hat was - the very same person who had greeted me this morning out walking his dog. His name was Geoff Wragg and he had just trained the winner of The Cheshire Oaks at whopping odds of 14/1.
I learnt two lessons that day at Chester. The first is to always take heed of an old racing adage, which is as follows. Whenever you spend a day at the races, always bet on the horse trained by the first trainer you see. And the second, more important lesson? Make sure you drink a cup of strong black coffee before heading out in in the morning in search of a Racing Post, in order that you have your wits about you from the moment you step outside.
#booklover
#writerscommunity
#shortstory
#horseracing
#chester
#horse
#instabooks
Under a flimsy umbrella, I set off through the rain in search of a newsagents. It was around seven thirty in the morning and there wasn’t a soul around. As I approached the picturesque art deco Queens Park Bridge, a tall stooping man emerged from a pathway ahead of me to my right. He wore a brown trilby hat and was walking a small dog on a lead.
As he approached, he looked at me and in a cheerful voice said: ‘Good morning’.
‘Good morning,’ I replied and with that he was gone. As I made my way across the bridge, his face reappeared in my mind. It looked vaguely familiar though try as I did, I was unable to put a name to it.
Later that day I stood poised with my camera inside Chester’s small winner’s circle. Their marketing manager had requested some photographs of a winning horse, smiling jockey and jubilant connections entering the winners enclosure. For this purpose, I had chosen The Cheshire Oaks race. Though the rain had long since stopped, the first day of the meeting was taking place on good to soft ground. I followed the race as it unfolded up on the big screen. As the runners charged up the home straight, it soon became clear to me that an upset was on the cards, as a filly called Hidden Hope, the outsider of the field, got the better of Menhoubah and Crystal Curling close home. As the result was made official, I scrunched up the betting slip in my pocket.
A swathe of well-wishers swarmed over to where I was stood to catch a close up look at the winning filly. I was quickly surrounded by other photographers and journalists. We were soon jockeying for position for a picture or a quote from the winning filly’s trainer. After the third and second placed horses were led by, there was a short pause in proceedings. I raised my camera to eye level and waited for Hidden Hope and her connections. Moments later they arrived. First came a mud splattered Ted Durcan, smiling broadly, donning his cap to the on looking crowd, sat aloft upon the glistening Hidden Hope. I pressed the shutter button and my motor drive triggered into action. Next came two immaculately dressed girls in navy blue outfits, bearing the sponsors name across their silver-coloured sachets, quickly followed by an excited looking couple whom I took for being Hidden Hope’s owners. They were busy congratulating a tall, stooping man sporting a brown trilby hat. As I continued taking pictures, it simultaneously struck me who the stooping man in the brown trilby hat was - the very same person who had greeted me this morning out walking his dog. His name was Geoff Wragg and he had just trained the winner of The Cheshire Oaks at whopping odds of 14/1.
I learnt two lessons that day at Chester. The first is to always take heed of an old racing adage, which is as follows. Whenever you spend a day at the races, always bet on the horse trained by the first trainer you see. And the second, more important lesson? Make sure you drink a cup of strong black coffee before heading out in in the morning in search of a Racing Post, in order that you have your wits about you from the moment you step outside.
#booklover
#writerscommunity
#shortstory
#horseracing
#chester
#horse
#instabooks
September 28, 2025
RAY CHARLES, ONE-EYED RACEHORSES AND OTHER MUSINGS ON WRITING AND MUSIC.
Music references are scattered throughout my first novel. I believe that mentions of songs by Oasis, Edwyn Collins, Pulp and the Pogues reinforce and authenticate the atmosphere of mid-90s Nottingham. I reference music is in my second novel Manvers Road Star too, albeit in a different way.
Music has always played a part in my life, albeit a background one. It began as a child, when I was forced into taking clarinet lessons by my parents. That’s the way I remember it, anyway. But by the time I became a teenager, I had ditched the clarinet for the B flat tenor saxophone. The highlight of my musical career remains playing an open mike gig at the Running Horse Pub in Nottingham where with two friends, a guitarist and a flautist, we played three songs by Gilberto Gil. Our set culminated with a note perfect rendition of ‘The Girl from Ipanema.’ The reason I mention the quality of our delivery is that our audience was dominated by greasy bikers, anticipating an evening of Motörhead cover versions. I think we did well to hold our nerve and play in tune.
The first time I got anything published in print came fifteen years earlier. I was living in Bournemouth, where I spent much of my time watching new wave bands. One night at a club called the Midnight Express I got talking at the bar to the editor of an indie publication called Coaster Magazine. We got along well and he asked me if I was interested in sending him gig reviews for consideration? I said I’d give it a try. I shall never forget the thrill I felt when my first review of a band called Doll By Doll appeared in print.
Occasionally I regret not having continued playing a musical instrument into adult life. If I had, I’d have chosen the stand-up or electric bass, but I never made the time for it. Nevertheless, an interest in music accompanied me through every stage of my life, one that began with the sounds coming out of my sister’s bedroom, in suburban London of the early seventies. Her copy of ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ by Stevie Wonder perhaps had the biggest influence on shaping my own musical tastes. Wonders' musical proficiency despite complete blindness fascinated me. A few days before writing this blog, on September 23rd in 1930, Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia. Unlike Stevie Wonder (who lost his eyesight shortly after birth), Ray Charles was seven years old when he lost his eyesight. It impressed me that his mother was keen that the young Ray continued with his piano lessons despite this set back and – well - the rest is history.
On the subject of eyesight, horses make for interesting reading. This is because they enjoy a panoramic field of vision of approximately 350 degrees, because their eyes are positioned on the sides of their heads. The British racehorse trainer John Dunlop once trained a horse called Belper who lost his sight in his right eye - not ideal in the life of a thoroughbred. Faced with the unenviable task of ringing his owner to tell him that his pride and joy’s career was over, Dunlop was struck by an idea. He delayed the phone call and led the one-eyed Belper to his left-turning oval training track, where he asked his stable jockey to gently canter him. Guided by his good left-eye and with the curvature of the white inner rail to guide him, Belper broke from a canter into a gallop. Within a day or two he was thriving. From observing Belper on his gallops, Dunlop knew he had saved his career. The expression ‘horses for courses’ could have been invented with Belper in mind. From that moment on, Belper would run exclusively at left-turning courses. Not only did he race competitively for many years, he went on to win six races at Brighton Racecourse – the left-turning course of left-turning courses where to this day, he still holds the course record.
Losing the sense of sight at such a young age, Ray Charles not only compensated with his remaining senses but flourished and went on to become one of the leading R&B performers of all time.
Ray Charles and Belper overcame the disadvantages inflicted upon them to thrive, and it is their example that lies at the heart of Manvers Road Star, their experiences that set the theme of the book. Whether human or equine, every one of us possess within ourselves the ability to overcome the challenges life puts in our way - even when the odds appear to be stacked against us.
#raycharles
#belper
#books
#bookstagram
#bookstagrammers
#blindness
#bookreview
#fivestarreview
#recommended
Music has always played a part in my life, albeit a background one. It began as a child, when I was forced into taking clarinet lessons by my parents. That’s the way I remember it, anyway. But by the time I became a teenager, I had ditched the clarinet for the B flat tenor saxophone. The highlight of my musical career remains playing an open mike gig at the Running Horse Pub in Nottingham where with two friends, a guitarist and a flautist, we played three songs by Gilberto Gil. Our set culminated with a note perfect rendition of ‘The Girl from Ipanema.’ The reason I mention the quality of our delivery is that our audience was dominated by greasy bikers, anticipating an evening of Motörhead cover versions. I think we did well to hold our nerve and play in tune.
The first time I got anything published in print came fifteen years earlier. I was living in Bournemouth, where I spent much of my time watching new wave bands. One night at a club called the Midnight Express I got talking at the bar to the editor of an indie publication called Coaster Magazine. We got along well and he asked me if I was interested in sending him gig reviews for consideration? I said I’d give it a try. I shall never forget the thrill I felt when my first review of a band called Doll By Doll appeared in print.
Occasionally I regret not having continued playing a musical instrument into adult life. If I had, I’d have chosen the stand-up or electric bass, but I never made the time for it. Nevertheless, an interest in music accompanied me through every stage of my life, one that began with the sounds coming out of my sister’s bedroom, in suburban London of the early seventies. Her copy of ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ by Stevie Wonder perhaps had the biggest influence on shaping my own musical tastes. Wonders' musical proficiency despite complete blindness fascinated me. A few days before writing this blog, on September 23rd in 1930, Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia. Unlike Stevie Wonder (who lost his eyesight shortly after birth), Ray Charles was seven years old when he lost his eyesight. It impressed me that his mother was keen that the young Ray continued with his piano lessons despite this set back and – well - the rest is history.
On the subject of eyesight, horses make for interesting reading. This is because they enjoy a panoramic field of vision of approximately 350 degrees, because their eyes are positioned on the sides of their heads. The British racehorse trainer John Dunlop once trained a horse called Belper who lost his sight in his right eye - not ideal in the life of a thoroughbred. Faced with the unenviable task of ringing his owner to tell him that his pride and joy’s career was over, Dunlop was struck by an idea. He delayed the phone call and led the one-eyed Belper to his left-turning oval training track, where he asked his stable jockey to gently canter him. Guided by his good left-eye and with the curvature of the white inner rail to guide him, Belper broke from a canter into a gallop. Within a day or two he was thriving. From observing Belper on his gallops, Dunlop knew he had saved his career. The expression ‘horses for courses’ could have been invented with Belper in mind. From that moment on, Belper would run exclusively at left-turning courses. Not only did he race competitively for many years, he went on to win six races at Brighton Racecourse – the left-turning course of left-turning courses where to this day, he still holds the course record.
Losing the sense of sight at such a young age, Ray Charles not only compensated with his remaining senses but flourished and went on to become one of the leading R&B performers of all time.
Ray Charles and Belper overcame the disadvantages inflicted upon them to thrive, and it is their example that lies at the heart of Manvers Road Star, their experiences that set the theme of the book. Whether human or equine, every one of us possess within ourselves the ability to overcome the challenges life puts in our way - even when the odds appear to be stacked against us.
#raycharles
#belper
#books
#bookstagram
#bookstagrammers
#blindness
#bookreview
#fivestarreview
#recommended
September 1, 2025
'Going Wide' with Softwood Books via Ingram Spark.
The largest challenge faced by an Indie author such as myself is succeeding in expanding ones 'reach.' In other words, letting enough people know that A. your books exist and then B., attempting to get them to part with their 'hard earnt' in order to invest in a copy.
Until recently, my books have only been available on-line via the Amazon KDP platform. The sales I have achieved for Shouting The Odds and Manvers Road Star thus far have been generated via my social media accounts on X and Instagram, via positive book reviews in the Racing Post and Sporting Life and via the support of loyal followers who enjoyed my books and have tirelessly 'liked' and 're-posted' my efforts to promote them.
Though both novels are set in the world of horse racing and betting, they cover many other themes, such as family, love and loss, father and son relationships, friendship and the desire we all have as people to belong.
Taking the decision as I did to self publish has been a gamble of sorts in itself - as has the decision I took recently to re-launch both titles with Softwood Publishing. As a consequence, Shouting The Odds and Manvers Road Star are now available to order in book chains all over the world.
Readers of Shouting The Odds have commented that '' the writing draws you in straight away and keeps you turning the pages. '' Those who have enjoyed Manvers Road Star have observed that ''it is a book that will stay with you. ''
As a book lover, every time you visit your local book store you are taking something of a calculated gamble yourself. Therefore, the next time you go in search of a novel, perhaps with a desire to take a chance on something a little different, don't hesitate in asking for a copy of one of my books. I am happy to bet that there is a sporting chance you will enjoy it.
Until recently, my books have only been available on-line via the Amazon KDP platform. The sales I have achieved for Shouting The Odds and Manvers Road Star thus far have been generated via my social media accounts on X and Instagram, via positive book reviews in the Racing Post and Sporting Life and via the support of loyal followers who enjoyed my books and have tirelessly 'liked' and 're-posted' my efforts to promote them.
Though both novels are set in the world of horse racing and betting, they cover many other themes, such as family, love and loss, father and son relationships, friendship and the desire we all have as people to belong.
Taking the decision as I did to self publish has been a gamble of sorts in itself - as has the decision I took recently to re-launch both titles with Softwood Publishing. As a consequence, Shouting The Odds and Manvers Road Star are now available to order in book chains all over the world.
Readers of Shouting The Odds have commented that '' the writing draws you in straight away and keeps you turning the pages. '' Those who have enjoyed Manvers Road Star have observed that ''it is a book that will stay with you. ''
As a book lover, every time you visit your local book store you are taking something of a calculated gamble yourself. Therefore, the next time you go in search of a novel, perhaps with a desire to take a chance on something a little different, don't hesitate in asking for a copy of one of my books. I am happy to bet that there is a sporting chance you will enjoy it.
July 12, 2025
Racing Post Sunday Review
Delighted that last Sunday Manvers Road Star was reviewed in the Racing Post Sunday Review ( July 6th edition, 2025). Twice I have approached Britain's biggest racing daily about reviewing my books and both times they have obliged, thanks largely to Jonathan Harding.
Gaining such media exposure is vital for indie authors such as myself, bringing my work to its largest audience yet. The review was written by Catherine Macrae and was, I'm glad to write, a positive one.
I have attached a link here. Scroll down to the third book review of three:
review:https://www.racingpost.com/news/featu...
Gaining such media exposure is vital for indie authors such as myself, bringing my work to its largest audience yet. The review was written by Catherine Macrae and was, I'm glad to write, a positive one.
I have attached a link here. Scroll down to the third book review of three:
review:https://www.racingpost.com/news/featu...
April 28, 2025
Joe McNally on my debut novel, Shouting The Odds
Shouting The Odds is the rites of passage journey into adulthood of Andy Cooper, the story’s protagonist. A chance visit to his local betting shop leads to his conversion and immersion into a gang of horse bettors - an exclusive club of high hopes, of ‘inside information’, of lucky mascots and lucky streaks. It is a life spent very much in the present - the 2.30 at Haydock, then the 2.45 at Ascot, the 3.00 at Cheltenham - living in the moment with what can feel like one’s life on the line, every time. You know when you fit as a betting shop punter, in the same way as when you have fallen in love. It is a love that widens, matures, helps bear the brunt of setbacks and celebrate the joy of winning. It is cult-like existence, though without the coercion - the discovery of finding your family at last, a family that is often more reliable and rewarding than your blood kin. Conveying these multiple strands in a relationship that is beyond comprehension to so many, is Jon Franklin's key achievement in this book - skilfully and beautifully realised, one that leaves the reader in no doubt that the author has long been one of that chosen few, and still is.
Andy’s home life epitomises yours and mine. He’s no big hero. There is no complicated plot or mystery he has to work through. After all, what can be more complicated than everyday life itself? Confronted by personal loss, by family troubles, romantic problems, by wins and by losses and by lurkers in the shadows, ever alert for weak prey – Shouting The Odds is Andy’s story, well told and utterly credible right the way through to its climatic ending. There’s no padding - though Andy’s challenges are ones that we all recognise, he does not dwell on each. They are recounted as they happen and resolved, and whether that is in Andy’s favour or not, you soon realise that the next crisis will be along very soon.
Shouting The Odds is a tale of perfect length - no doorstop by any means - and all the better for it. The story of a young man drifting into adulthood with the same dreams we all have, but with no obvious means of realising them – not until he finds his real family, his true vocation and all the hope that comes with these. Throughout, Andy’s heart is never anywhere hidden. It's as though the last thing he does on dressing each day is to pin it to his sleeve, raw and open and vulnerable to the world, and that is what makes his story so memorable. I look forward to see how that heart is holding up in Jon Franklin’s follow-up, Manvers Road Star.
Joe McNally is the former Marketing boss at Aintree Racecourse and former Commercial Director at the Tote, where he invented the Scoop6 bet. He is also the author of the Eddie Malloy series of books.
Andy’s home life epitomises yours and mine. He’s no big hero. There is no complicated plot or mystery he has to work through. After all, what can be more complicated than everyday life itself? Confronted by personal loss, by family troubles, romantic problems, by wins and by losses and by lurkers in the shadows, ever alert for weak prey – Shouting The Odds is Andy’s story, well told and utterly credible right the way through to its climatic ending. There’s no padding - though Andy’s challenges are ones that we all recognise, he does not dwell on each. They are recounted as they happen and resolved, and whether that is in Andy’s favour or not, you soon realise that the next crisis will be along very soon.
Shouting The Odds is a tale of perfect length - no doorstop by any means - and all the better for it. The story of a young man drifting into adulthood with the same dreams we all have, but with no obvious means of realising them – not until he finds his real family, his true vocation and all the hope that comes with these. Throughout, Andy’s heart is never anywhere hidden. It's as though the last thing he does on dressing each day is to pin it to his sleeve, raw and open and vulnerable to the world, and that is what makes his story so memorable. I look forward to see how that heart is holding up in Jon Franklin’s follow-up, Manvers Road Star.
Joe McNally is the former Marketing boss at Aintree Racecourse and former Commercial Director at the Tote, where he invented the Scoop6 bet. He is also the author of the Eddie Malloy series of books.
April 9, 2025
It's been a while ....
Hello, one and all - and a special hello to my goodreads friends!
I am the first to admit that I have neglected my author's page - but begin this blog post, determined to make amends!
As an indie author, keeping abreast of social media pages, enquiries about one's writing and writing new material sometimes requires an extra hour or two in the day!
As I say, I am determined to keep up with my goodreads author page - and am very happy to have some new news to share with you.
My long awaited sequel to Shouting The Odds has been 'live' now ten days and is called Manvers Road Star.
Andy Cooper and his friends are back in a new adventure! Manvers Road Star will take the reader on a journey from Sneinton to the Sherwood Forest, from Beeston to Barbados and back via Dunstall Park for an inspired betting coup, before reaching a moving climax at Andy's local racecourse, Colwick Park. Andy is again our protagonist, but at the heart of the novel is the bravest of fillies and the story's true star - Manvers Road Star.
Manvers Road Star is a heart warming story about friendship, resilience and the incredible bond between humans and horses.Manvers Road Star: When all seems lost, stay in the race.Manvers Road Star: When all seems lost, stay in the race.
Get your hooves on a copy today!
I am the first to admit that I have neglected my author's page - but begin this blog post, determined to make amends!
As an indie author, keeping abreast of social media pages, enquiries about one's writing and writing new material sometimes requires an extra hour or two in the day!
As I say, I am determined to keep up with my goodreads author page - and am very happy to have some new news to share with you.
My long awaited sequel to Shouting The Odds has been 'live' now ten days and is called Manvers Road Star.
Andy Cooper and his friends are back in a new adventure! Manvers Road Star will take the reader on a journey from Sneinton to the Sherwood Forest, from Beeston to Barbados and back via Dunstall Park for an inspired betting coup, before reaching a moving climax at Andy's local racecourse, Colwick Park. Andy is again our protagonist, but at the heart of the novel is the bravest of fillies and the story's true star - Manvers Road Star.
Manvers Road Star is a heart warming story about friendship, resilience and the incredible bond between humans and horses.Manvers Road Star: When all seems lost, stay in the race.Manvers Road Star: When all seems lost, stay in the race.
Get your hooves on a copy today!
August 6, 2021
Never Give Up On Your First Novel ...
The idea for writing a novel first came to me during the mid-90's. For various reasons, beyond scribbled notes made onto blank postcards and into (later) mislaid notepads, I wasn't to sit down in front of a computer with serious intent until about fifteen years later. Thus began the lengthy journey towards getting Shouting The Odds written.
A wise man once told me that you have to write one hundred thousand bad words before you learn how to write good fiction and though I took great offence at the time, looking back he was absolutely right. Two different editors, a couple of 'time out's' and several manuscripts later, earlier this week I uploaded Shouting The Odds to Amazon/KDP. It was a proud moment and a milestone reached.
However hard you sometimes find the going, never give up on your first novel. Otherwise, you may live to regret it for the erst of your life ....
Shouting The Odds
A wise man once told me that you have to write one hundred thousand bad words before you learn how to write good fiction and though I took great offence at the time, looking back he was absolutely right. Two different editors, a couple of 'time out's' and several manuscripts later, earlier this week I uploaded Shouting The Odds to Amazon/KDP. It was a proud moment and a milestone reached.
However hard you sometimes find the going, never give up on your first novel. Otherwise, you may live to regret it for the erst of your life ....
Shouting The Odds
