Claridge spills the beans
An English soccer legend of the 1990s and early 2000s has finally come clean on his gambling addiction.
secret even kept from his wife
The most staggering revelation, a secret Steve Claridge allegedly even kept from his wife, involves the ex-Portsmouth FC striker selling the couple’s house on the quiet to bet on a horse.
In a Tuesday interview on soccer podcast Undr the Cosh, Claridge, 58, revealed how he sold the couple’s £260,000 ($335,975) house to bet on one horse at the 2000 Cheltenham Festival, the legendary Irish Thoroughbred Istabraq.
“I have to get on this horse but I’ve got no money […]. I know what I can do, I can sell my house.”
Sweating bullets
Claridge played over 800 matches for 15 different English league franchises over 24 years – his epic Cheltenham gamble coming during his second spell at Portsmouth.
As Claridge recalled on the podcast, his regular moves to different franchises would often put huge sums in his pocket which led to gambling. When he heard Istabraq was gunning for a record third consecutive Champion’s Hurdle in 2000, the temptation to risk his home proved irresistible.
He told his wife to “go home […] so she’s living with her mum and dad but unbeknown to her I’ve sold the house.”
“The horse is 8/13 (-162.5) so I’ve got £260,000 to win £160,000 ($206,810).”
But the now homeless Claridge gets some chilling news on the radio on race day “that the horse has bled from the nose.”
“F***ing hell it’s an antepost bet, which back in the day meant you don’t get your money back if the horse doesn’t run.”
Istabraq did indeed run that day, winning the Champion’s Hurdle, a place in the history books, and a “four-bed detached house with the money” for Claridge.
habit led to him owning “a multitude of houses”
“Because that’s what I used to do was when I had a win.” Claridge said this habit led to him owning “a multitude of houses” by the time he hung up his boots.
Other betting shenanigans
On the podcast, Claridge also revealed he trained once with Cambridge United with £5,000 ($6,470) in his socks. Another incident came just months before Istabraq’s win, when Claridge and five of his fellow Portsmouth players placed a £250 ($323) bet backing themselves to beat Barnsley on January 29, 2000.
Claridge netted a hat-trick in his teams 3-0 victory, their first win in 15 games. The English FA subsequently fined Claridge £900 ($1,164) for misconduct.