Trodmore Racecourse
Encyclopedia
Trodmore Racecourse was the name of a fictitious racecourse, supposedly in Cornwall
. On August 1, 1898, it was the subject of a punting scam.
It is said that a man named Mr. Martin contacted the offices of a leading newspaper, The Sportsman
, to inform them of a horse racing meeting he was holding the following day in the village of Trodmore. They were so impressed with the quality of the racecard that they promised to publish the runners, riders and results. Punters placed bets with several bookmakers, and collected as usual as results came through.
Everything seemed to be going to plan until another leading newspaper, The Sporting Life
, noticed that they had not been informed. They didn't want to be left out, so they copied the results 24 hours later. However, there was a slight, but important, difference in the sets of results. One winning horse was given at 5-1 in the Sportsman, but at only 5-2 in the Sporting Life. This detail needed to be checked so they tried to contact the racecourse.
When they couldn't be contacted, a fraud investigation got under way. Trodmore was nowhere to be found on any map of Cornwall
.
Nobody was ever caught for the scam and it remains a mystery to this day.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. On August 1, 1898, it was the subject of a punting scam.
It is said that a man named Mr. Martin contacted the offices of a leading newspaper, The Sportsman
The Sportsman (1865 newspaper)
The first British newspaper titled The Sportsman began publishing from 1865, some six years after the Sporting Life. It ran until 1924....
, to inform them of a horse racing meeting he was holding the following day in the village of Trodmore. They were so impressed with the quality of the racecard that they promised to publish the runners, riders and results. Punters placed bets with several bookmakers, and collected as usual as results came through.
Everything seemed to be going to plan until another leading newspaper, The Sporting Life
Sporting Life (newspaper)
The Sporting Life was a British newspaper published between 1859 and 1998 that was best known for its coverage of horse racing. Latterly it has continued as a multi-sports website....
, noticed that they had not been informed. They didn't want to be left out, so they copied the results 24 hours later. However, there was a slight, but important, difference in the sets of results. One winning horse was given at 5-1 in the Sportsman, but at only 5-2 in the Sporting Life. This detail needed to be checked so they tried to contact the racecourse.
When they couldn't be contacted, a fraud investigation got under way. Trodmore was nowhere to be found on any map of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Nobody was ever caught for the scam and it remains a mystery to this day.