He found backers to finance a scheme that required cash, military precision and total secrecy.
On June 30, 1964, six dogs ran in the 4.05 afternoon race at Dagenham greyhound track, then a subsidiary of Romford Stadium.
Two of them were fancied runners, two were outsiders, two were no-hopers.
On the two fancied runners, non-Tote bookies offered 2 to 1 against Buckwheat and 9-4 against Handsome Lass. These two did indeed run home first and second. On a non-Tote combination bet, you d get odds of something like 9-2.
Mr Whippet insisted that it was not trickery but his knowledge of dogs that lay behind the Dagenham Coup . He recruited no fewer than 170 men, organised into two groups.