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J.P. McManus, is one of the most prestigious race-horse owners in the world and has on many occasions been termed the 'patron saint of gambling'. High praise indeed. But what has this man done to make himself so famous? John Patrick McManus was born in Limerick, Ireland in March 1951, and he started off in business in his families plant hire firm, before moving on to become an on-course bookmaker at Market's Field, Limericks greyhound track. He quickly realised that there is more money to be made at the other side of the track and moved on to horse ownership, punting and laying horses. He has become famous for the size of the bets that he places, most of which are successful and he has become something of an enigma in the gambling world, with a well-deserved legend status. It is not known exactly how much McManus is worth, but he owns approximately 100 in-training racehorses at one time, and is speculated to be a billionaire. He is friends with the stars and could buy whatever he dreamed of, yet it is not this huge wealth that makes McManus so idolised. It is his love of a bet that enamours him to so many ? he went broke not once but twice and he absolutely loves taking the bookies to the cleaners. This along with his sheer ordinariness and good heart is what sets J.P. McManus apart from the rest of the wealthy billionaires we love to loathe! When Ireland needed a new sports facility he donated ?50 million towards the National Stadium, and he established the J.P. McManus Scholarship Award which provides ?6,750 each year for eight selected third level students at his former secondary school in Limerick. In February 2007, McManus was presented with the Honorary Patronage of the University Philosophical Society of Trinity College Dublin, in return for his charitable contributions. He also holds the J.P. McManus Invitational Charity Golf tournament every five years, near Limerick, where players of huge renown come along to play, all to raise money for Limerick charities. All 'the boys' that he hangs out with - Magnier and Dermot Desmond from Ireland, and Joe Lewis and Michael Tabor from England, attend as well as elite European businessmen and some celebrities, for example Sir Alex Ferguson. 'The boys' mix business and pleasure, currency speculating, share trading and making property deals, while Sir Alex is a friend through the massive investment McManus made in Manchester United. McManus is a big national hunt supporter and he nearly always has more than one horse racing in the Grand National. He has his own stud farm, Martinstown Stud, near Kilmallock, County Limerick and owns excellent horses ? his most celebrated horse, Istabraq, won the Champion Hurdle three years in a row at the Cheltenham festival, but one of his horses has yet to win the Grand National at Aintree ? hopefully 2010 will be his year! Do you want to know how to pick a winner in the 2010 Grand National? Read our race guide and pick a winner.
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