A GENEROUS racehorse owner has bought an £850,000 property for all his staff to live in – and already pays for all their petrol.
Former jockey Tony Ottobre is planning to do up the three-bed – just yards from the beach – so that it's easier for staff to get to work.
Ottobre happened to be driving past the house when he saw it for sale and went into a fierce bidding war with another prospective buyer.
And he held his nerve in a 'feisty auction' as the hammer finally came down at £850,000 – some £61,330 above the original asking price.
Ottobre said his decision was motivated by a desire to get yard staff to stay and work with him rather than move on.
After purchasing the property in Cape Schanck in Melbourne, Australia, Ottobre said: "To get people down to Cape Schanck it’s difficult, because of the extra driving.
"You have to more or less have an incentive for the workers to stay rather than move on.
"So they will have subsidised accommodation."
OFFERS OF THE DAY
Tote: Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets – CLAIM HERE
Virgin Bet: Bet £10 Get £20 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets (MOBILE ONLY)* – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Horse Racing Bets – CLAIM HERE
Tote: New customers online only. Place your first bet on racing pools for a minimum of £5 and win or lose you will receive £20 Tote Credit. £20 Tote Credit rewarded as £10 redeemable against racing bets only and £10 redeemable against UK and Irish placepot bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. Ten to Follow, virtual and football bets do not qualify. Totewin will be the qualifying bet when a Totewin and a Toteplace bet are struck at the same time. New UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org
Virgin Bet: New members. £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook, placed & settled at 1.5 min odds within 14 days of sign-up. Win part of E/W bets. 2 non-withdrawable £10 Free Bet Tokens: accept in 7 days, valid for 7 days from acceptance (ex. E/Ws & Multiples), stakes not returned. Click here for Rules & Exclusions. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org 18+ begambleaware.org
William Hill: 18+. Pla18+. Play Safe. When you sign-up via Mobile using promo code N40 and place a bet of £10/€10 or more we will give you 4x £10/€10 free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. begambleaware.org
Betfair: New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using Cards or Apple Pay will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy's Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: 18+NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 3 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS ONLY REDEEMABLE ON HORSE RACING. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+ Begambleaware.org
He has already offered those with an interest in working for him company cars and foots the bill for their petrol.
Ottobre plans to renovate the space and build an extra two homes on the site if he gets the thumbs up from the council.
Most read in Horse Racing
Punters cry 'I've never seen a horse that fast' after freak finish
This 14-1 chance is a serious danger on handicap debut off a low mark
My NAP will absolutely relish this stamina-sapping test
I'm a jockey who's made £14m but live a double life in nightclubs & on farms
He said: "It’s a pretty good spot, and it won’t be a budget build.
"I thought if I wanted to live somewhere nearby, I would want to live there. And I want the people around me to be happy and successful.
"I have always wanted to be the best at what I do, so I want the people who work with me to be successful too."
Ottobre names his racehorses in honour of his late daughter Jennifer, who passed away from brain cancer aged just 26 in 2016.
One of those, Princess Jenni, has been ridden by Damien Oliver, the jockey nicknamed 'GOAT' who recently announced his retirement.
Ottobre also set up the GoFundMe page which raised £1million for the family of jockey Dean Holland, who was killed while racing last April.
FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
Source: Read Full Article
