Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 20 January 2025

I want to devote this edition of the Roundup to Mike Futter, who died last week after suffering a stroke 11 years ago.

Some of you will remember him through his association with Monty’s Pass, who landed a £1 million touch when he won the 2003 Grand National.

Mike became a good friend after he read my preview of the race in the Sunday Telegraph and rang to thank me a few days before the race for the vote of confidence.

Courage comes in many forms, and Mike had it in bucketloads. Having started backing the horse at 66/1, he kept stepping in right up to the week of the race having told everyone he met to have an interest.

Mike gave most of his winnings away, but he remained a fearless backer and there were many occasions when he would ask me to join him to help get his money on. He had a friend who owned a helicopter and they would pick me up from Kendal to fly to the meetings when he had a runner he wanted to back.

I remember being with him when he was having a bad Cheltenham and he decided to get out on Kauto Star, piling on his reserve funds and any remaining credit to win enough to balance out the week.

There were many great days both in the UK and Spain, where he had a villa. We used to watch the racing out there in a gambling bar up in the hills, where an assortment of, let’s call them, ‘colourful’ characters would gather together for the afternoon’s viewing.

Mike had a handful of very well-placed contacts. Many a time I was in his car and he would take a call when a horse would be named, and I was then instructed to place the bet. The majority of them won.

Mike was a great advocate of each-way betting if the odds were 5/2 or more, arguing that if the horse didn’t win but was placed then he recovered half the win bet.

He didn’t like Betfair, although I eventually convinced him that on most occasions the Exchanges offered better value.

Remarkably I cannot recall any time when we were knocked back. At the track he gave those of us working with him bundles of cash to place with the on-course bookmakers, synchronised to pounce a few minutes before the flag.

We had some bad days, of course, but regardless of the results they were always fun. When I first went to Spain with him he threw me a set of keys to his villa and told me to keep them, adding that I had paid for the property with a good Cheltenham.

What quickly became apparent was that he had the inside track on the Irish novice hurdles. So many of them revolved around just two or three main players, and he invariably knew which was the one ‘they’ wanted. Many a time we were backing horses each-way at prices ranging from 5/2 to 5/1.

On one occasion at Hexham a horse of his won and I had to ask the stewards if they could loan us their hut to count the bundles of cash. I’ll never forget the sight of it piled up on the floor.

Yet apart from all that Mike achieved great things in other walks of life. I could recount many examples of that, but one story brings together the many facets of his character.

His main business was Bingo halls, and he opened one within a short walk between the Catholic Falls Road and the Protestant Shankill. The wives and mothers were dropped off for an evening’s bingo by their respective families in an exchange of furtive glances from the menfolk.

When one of his patrons had a birthday he organised a singalong and gave them a bunch of flowers and a bottle of champagne.

This was during the height of the Troubles and one morning he took a call from a high-ranking operative in the IRA to meet him, unarmed and alone, outside the back door of his office.

Mike assumed his time was up, but bravely did what he was told and was met by someone who he instantly recognised accompanied by a couple of burly heavyweights. The man then said to Mike:

“Last night you gave my mother the best birthday of her life. If you ever need my support I’ll be here for you.”

Sadly there were people who took advantage of Mike’s generosity and he hit some hard times towards the end. It was cruel that illness robbed him of his zest for life and his great spirit, but there is hardly a day when I don’t think of him and the support he gave me at a challenging time.

It is said that people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Mike landed the treble, and I know that many of you will join me in passing on my sincere condolences to his wife and three daughters.

It seems disrespectful to mention that the Weekend Card returns this week, with news for what promises to be a great day at Cheltenham.

However I get the feeling Mike would approve.

Bye for now

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