Racecourse bookie to £170m art collector – incredible rise of Cheltenham Festival star & Shishkin owner Joe Donnelly

THEY say you never see a poor bookie – but you rarely see one with a £170million fortune and amazing art collection.

Meet Joe Donnelly and elegant wife Marie, who could strike it big at Cheltenham Festival again with their superstar stable of top horses.

Household names like Champion Chase favourite Shishkin, double Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo and Ryanair chance Melon are just a few.

But for all their success on the track, the couple made their fortune – or part of it at least – off it.

Just over 15 years ago, the pair relocated to France after earning a packet from selling a building found in Paris’ Champs-Elysees, that was said to be where Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana were staying before their fatal car crash.

Joe began life as a bookie, before earning millions and investing his money in art.

At one time he did own a gallery in Ireland, although it was reportedly impossible to visit – with only the elite being allowed in.

But it did house works from world-renowned artists, including Picasso and Matisse that are now at his Dublin home.

This is a man who cherishes his privacy.

The bookmaker

Back in the 1990s, Donnelly was an influential bookie.

He was chairman of the Irish National Bookmakers’ Association and a two-time board member of the Irish Horseracing Authority, that came before Horse Racing Ireland.

And he took real pride in his profession, passing on his knowledge to punters with a recognised low-key style which drew admirers.

However, despite his quiet demeanour he knew when to stand up for his rights.

A demonstration of a more steely character arose at Leopardstown in 1995, when on-course betting shops were introduced and their methods of operation were questioned.

Donnelly managed to stop the shops from accepting single-bets at the home meeting, after garnering support for strike action from INBA members.

But the seeds of a more artsy life were being planted by his wife.

The art scene

A decade before Joe was earning his reputation as a bookmaker, the family moved to Dublin.

There, they became synonymous with the culture and arts worlds of the capital and supported local charities.

Marie helped found the Irish Hospice Foundation in 1986, before joining its board three years later and becoming chairwoman in 1997.

She set up a fundraiser called The Whoseday Project and managed to raise more than £2m.

Pals including poet Seamus Heaney and artist Louis Le Brocquy aided her quest.

Soon, the Donnellys were royalty in Dublin.

Their house, itself, is a work of art. Carved out of a hillside in Killiney, a wealthy suburb close to the city, it boasts sea views.

It now boasts an art collection dominated by international artists, after an art gallery the did own was closed down.

Works by Matisse and Picasso are complimented by pieces from Willem de Kooning, Julian Schnabel, and Georg Baselitz – with a figure on the worth of the collection impossible to nail down.

Regarded as big players in the art world, both Joe and Marie have appeared on the International Council of the Tate Gallery, as well as the international board of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

However, they’ve also got a nous for investing in property.

Champs-Elysees

Back in 2005, Joe bought a building on what is described as the world’s most beautiful avenue, the Champs-Elysees.

Not only does it house a Cartier store visited by the rich and famous, above are apartments worth millions because of their lavish location.

In 1997, well before the Donnellys registered an interest, it was where Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana were staying before they lost their lives in a car accident.

Reportedly, when the deal was completed some eight years later their belongings were still at the residence.

“It was like a shrine with all his clothes, jewellery and so on still in place,” a source told The Times.

“After the deal was closed, his father removed everything. The Donnellys acquired it as an investment with the intention of selling off all the apartments.”

A year later, Joe flipped the building for an undisclosed sum.

Now, it’s in racing he holds his trump card.

Ahead of Cheltenham, his horse Shishkin is big favourite for the Champion Chase.

You wouldn’t put it past the Donnellys to be cheering on a winner… discreetly of course.