John Patrick McManus Irish Businessman and The Sundance Kid.
John Patrick McManus born March of 1951 has turned himself into a legendary folk hero, a successful businessman, and cherished national icon and one of the most loved and hated Irishmen alive today and it all started with his love for a good gamble.
An Irish Businessman and racehorse owner, his career began at his family’s construction plant hire firm. Some might argue he was born into a life of privilege and that all the accolades he has gathered over the years are merely smokescreen, but the methods with which he turned a successful business into an international empire cannot be ignored. In the late 70’s he became an on-course bookmaker at Limerick’s greyhound track and if his love for betting was not already a part of his life, and this might be what took his curiosity into a whole other level of interest. Spurred on by his good friend Jimmy Hayes, McManus soon became a horse owner, and a legend was born.
His first major win as an owner was a horse called Mister Donovan, 3 years in a row his horse Istabraq was hurdle champion at Cheltenham, he owns over 400 horses in training, and 12 time Champion Jockey A.P. McCoy is his stable jockey, but it’s evident in his business records that horse ownership is not his bread winner. His wealth being estimated at nearly 2 billion Euros but due to his sizeable offshore holdings the exact number remains unknown, it’s clear just at first glance that there is something special about this man’s dealings.
Currencies are his specialty and his bets on currencies are no less bold than his sports wagers, in fact, they are bank scale. He trades currencies from his Switzerland location and that is the source of his incredible income.
He is known to some as JP and to others as The Sundance Kid, but his life is far more similar to another character made famous by Robert Redford, he is Johnny Hooker from The Sting. A grand gambler who went bankrupt twice and still managed to gamble his way into owning homes in Switzerland, and Ireland, a Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados a private jet and he has a permanent suite in London’s Dorchester Hotel.
His myriad interests are another cause for praise. As modern man of his times he owns interests in Global Radio, a United Kingdom group that plans on nationalizing programming with new cost effective methods. He owns the Limerick hurling and football teams and he is close friends with Tiger Woods. His JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am tournament, a charity golf tournament, is a modern media favorite internationally; it provides a low pressure festive atmosphere all in the guise of good will towards men. Along the same lines he awards an annual scholarship to selected students from his former high school C.B.S. Sexton Steer High school in Limerick in the amount of 6 750 Euros for a level 3 education under the JP McManus Scholarship Award.
Together with his close friend John Magnier, McManus now owns 28.9% of the IFL’s golden calf the Manchester United Football Club. This purchase was a favor for a friend, Sir Alex Ferguson who was forced into retirement as manager and reinstated by Magnier and McManus’ bold investment.
John Patrick McManus is also referred to as one of ‘The Boys’ with John Magnier, Dermot Desmond, Joe Lewis, and Michael Tabor these men for an elite group of hard working players and businessmen who basically help run the world with the copious amounts of money they make from property deals, currency speculation and share trading.
Famous for giving pinstripes a bloody nose McManus is a brilliant mathematical mind, unflappable, calculating, and not given to histrionics, he’s been roasting bookies since the 1970’s regularly winning hundreds of thousands of pounds in one afternoon. His very public battle for over 1 million pounds with his rival and bookie ‘Fearless’ Freddie Williams helped intensify his cult playboy status as a lover of punt, a major league gambler and a man who will not hesitate to get his dues and take bookies to the cleaners. He once won 1 million from a bookie in a single afternoon, but being the somewhat low key operator that he is, he will naturally downplay this when asked about it.
Despite his many talked about adventures spanning the globe, he remains something of an enigma. A somewhat private individual married to his beautiful wife Noreen, a devout catholic and former nurse, for several decades now; he has just as successful a family life as a business life. In 2008 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he undergoes treatment in the United States of America with the best doctor’s money can by, due to his nature the details of his health are kept shrouded in mystery, but the occasional press releases seem to indicate his is feeling strong and capable to take on the world in his patented kind of brazen way.
Oscar Wilde once said that America was the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between, many would make the same claim about John Patrick McManus but whether you love him or hate him, his influence, just like that of the Land of the Free, is both undeniable and unmistakable.
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