Norton Howells fell in love with the flat during Glorious Goodwood in August 2000, at the age of thirty. Having never remotely considered betting on horses, he found himself hooked - arguably obsessed. His life was now reshaped by dreams of becoming a professional gambler. Gradually, he sensed a lack of talent for this pursuit but persevered. In 2012 he took some time off work in order to focus his mind on making forty grand and writing a book, win or lose. The intention was to keep it light, but sometimes it gets heavy during the flat season.