Fine Cotton Fiasco

by Peter Hoysted

Brisbane, 1984. It all started with a simple plan to secretly swap a mediocre horse with a faster one, and rake in the cash with a few well-placed bets. What could possibly go wrong? In The Fine Cotton Fiasco, Peter Hoysted and Pat Sheil brilliantly tell the scarcely believable tale of how – through a combination of horrendous mismanagement, terrible judgement and comically bad luck – the scheme gradually unravelled. How did a horse with white painted socks dripping onto the turf come to hold the hopes of punters across Australia and beyond? How was a supposedly secret plan so widely advertised that even the Queensland Commissioner of Police placed a bet? And how much of a cover-up ensued in the aftermath of this absolute debacle? The story of Fine Cotton is the stuff of Australian legend. It features hardcore crims, likeable rogues and a supporting cast that ranged from the hapless to the hopeless – with some entirely innocent bystanders thrown in for good measure. Not every crazy scheme cooked up by a couple of inmates in Boggo Road Gaol would culminate in a story that will be told across the nation for the next hundred years. But this one did.

Genres: History

336 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2019

Reviews

[John Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great ripping yarn. The authors tell a wonderful story using colourful Australian slanguage without allowing it to drift off into tedious tangents or waffle. A tone of incredulity permeates this book, perfectly evoking the utterly breathtaking stupidity of a racehorse ring-in scam which went comically awry against a background of seriously dangerous underworld criminals, and corrupt police and politicians. An easy read, and an excellent one as well.

[Nez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Alisha Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars