Whenever the Silver City holds a race meeting, the inevitable question is, ‘will Dougie Carroll be there?’ We asked that question of Silver City Cup president Dave Gallagher who replied emphatically, “It wouldn’t be a race meet with Dougie.”
The local legend, now 98 years old, has been a bookie for more than 70 years and we asked the man himself if he will be at the Cup.
“If I am not there, people will be wondering what’s going on,” Mr Carroll told the Barrier Truth.
Doug claims to have been a prominent figure in the betting ring at every Silver City Cup for the past 70 plus years, and he doesn’t plan on missing this one – no matter how hot the weather is.
“We’ve got a couple of umbrellas, and plenty of ice boxes – we’ll be right,” Mr Carroll told the Truth.
“I missed Wentworth this year, I have only been to Pooncarie since St Pats, so I wasn’t missing this one.”
The passion for the punt is still there for the legendary bookmaker. “I’ll keep going until I don’t know what I am doing. If I give you a good price on an odds-on favourite, I’ll know it is time to stop.”
If you’re planning on having a punt today at the Silver City Cup – stop past and say g’day to Doug Carroll – the world’s oldest bookmaker.
