Phil Agius

The obvious candidates for this one are the two bets that enabled me to upgrade my car! We're not talking about a Ferrari, sadly, but I had a futures bet on Crawley Town at 16/1 and topped up several times on their way to the Dr. Martens League title (English 6th tier) in 2003-04 for the first one. That was beaten by my favorite bet of all time, however, which was backing Pastor Maldonado at 500/1 to win the 2012 Spanish F1 Grand Prix. It was early in the season and the tire regulations had changed and bookmakers just didn't seem to recognise that some of the longshot teams had a better chance than they thought. Maldonado took pole for the race – which I was trying to follow on my phone while on a day out at a theme park with my wife and children! – and stayed out in front to win the only F1 race of his career on a memorable day for both of us.

I would just say the brilliant sports betting coverage the Racing Post and now Pickswise have produced over the years is my greatest achievement, allowing young talent to flourish and hopefully leading by example with dedication and attention to detail. Our acclaimed pre-season and pre-tournament supplements were highlights but it is the daily output, knowing we have done the best job possible and pointed the readers toward some winners, that brings the most satisfaction.

Phil graduated with a BSc. Econ (Hons) degree in Accounting and Economics from Cardiff University in Wales and developed his journalism skills as a sports reporter on local newspapers in Surrey, UK.

30 years as a sports journalist 25 years as a sports handicapper Phil's interest in sports began as soon as he was able to turn on a TV. The first soccer match he remembers watching is the 1978 English FA Cup Final and his first venture into sports journalism was a school project on the 1984 Winter Olympics! He was devising betting strategies and making horse racing picks long before he was legally able to bet. After getting a taste for journalism by contributing to his university newspaper, he learned his trade as sports reporter for the Sutton Herald and Crawley News in England before becoming group sports editor of the Surrey Mirror at the age of 25. A move to London with the Mirror Group followed, before he landed his dream job with the Racing Post, the UK's leading sports and betting newspaper. Later leading the sports desk there for 12 years, he has worked alongside some of the UK's leading handicappers and watched the industry grow unrecognisably on both sides of the Atlantic.

Spreads, TD scorers, Longshots!