Phil Bull was a professional gambler who made massive amount of money from wagering specifically in horse races. In addition to him being a veteran gambler, he was also a writer, breeder, owner and publisher. He is estimated to have generated millions in the course of his profession. He was born in 1910 and died in 1989. He is the pioneer of the reputable Portway Press Ltd that publishes Timeform racehorse rating guides. The guide is among the most popular British Horse Racing Guide.
Phil Bull was a son of a miner and a schoolteacher. His birth pace was at Hemsworth, West Yorkshire. He graduated with a degree in Mathematics from Leeds University in 1931. His mathematics background and unwavering interest with horse racing inspired him to develop his own unique handicapping concepts. He developed the time-based evaluations technique of the racecourses performance. It was from these concepts that the Timeform handicapping system was engineered.
Phil Bull became a teacher in London after completing his education. He had a shrewd attitude and approach towards betting. He studied the whole season and discovered that the trend was almost similar. This inspired him to quit his teaching profession and devoted his time wholly in gambling.
Bull started gambling when he was a young schoolboy. He won a bet on Caerlon featuring 25/1 odds in Epsom Derby. During 1940s, Bull was actively engrossed in betting using his own unique time ratings. He also sold the ratings under the alias `Temple Time Test’, which soon became a reputable figure in the British Racecourses. His professionalism made him a close ally of other reputable gamblers and bookmakers of the time such as William Hill. Other notable figures in his list of friend he had gained as a result of his gambling skills include international celebrities such as The Crazy Gang and Bud Flanagan.
According to his betting records that are currently available, they show that he accumulated profit of about £295,987 between 1943 and 1974. This amount would be more than £5 million in the adjusted currency. There are other sources that place this figure to over £500,000.
After the World War II ended, Phil Bull worked in cahoots with Dick Whitford. Just like Bull, Whitford had developed his own unique handicapping rating system. They integrated their skills to create an Enterprise called Timeform. Bull’s rating technique was more focused on the likely speed the participant will use while Dick’s concept leaned more on the form side. The first Timeform publication was released in 1948. Since the inception of the company, Whitford remained the head until his death.
Although he boasts of plenty of publications, he was made rich by his smart gambling tactics. His concepts were based around the clock. He integrated his vast background in mathematics with his knowledge in horse races to come up with effective concepts that placed him far ahead of his time. The half a million pounds he is claimed to have made was a lot of cash 50 years back. His temperament for betting was well suited for a professional gambler. Both wins and losses were treated similarly.
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