Asked at the tender age of eight what he wanted to be when he grew up, Tom’s immediate riposte of “a bookmaker” drew a stern rebuke from a clearly non-plussed & non-punting primary school teacher, but the ensuing 20 years have seen him stay true to his boyhood wish, working for a couple of the major firms & more recently broadcasters.

His latter school days, punctuated by frequent trips to the local independent, were spent leafing through copies of the Sporting Life & Racing Post, dreaming of the holidays which would inevitably involve racecourse betting rings, football grounds, & major sporting events, trying to find an angle which would lead to the holy grail: four up on a yankee.

Not much has changed. An avid racing & football man, Tom joined Stoke outfit Bet365 straight from school, and spent two happy years learning the ropes in their fledgling internet business.

A swift transfer a few junctions up the M6 saw him enlisted by Salford bookie Fred Done to join his Betfred operation. Plenty of notorious characters passed through the doors of Betfred HQ, but three productive years saw him assume the role of company spokesperson, gaining invaluable insight into the world of broadcasting with regular slots on various media outlets promoting Fred’s infamous bonuses & brainwaves.

Now it was at about this time that our man also got his foot in the door with Channel 4 Racing, signing up as the ‘eyes & ears’ of legendary betting pundit John ‘Big Mac’ McCririck, working behind the scenes on track assisting the great man.

An ever present five years in that role lead to a few openings on screen, one thing lead to another, & nowadays Tom can regularly be seen on Channel 4 Racing & The Morning Line, as well as in Ireland alongside Brian Gleeson on RTE Racing.

A self-confessed jump-racing addict, we’re looking forward to having him on board and are sure that his insights in to the world of racing and online betting will prove both interesting and profitable.

Getting into the spirit of things at the Galway Festival 2011 - normal service is resumed alongside my great mate John The Carver!