Born in 1911 near Southampton the elder son of Captain Bryan Curling who won a DSO during the First World War, Mr Curling became captivated by the Sport of Kings when he was sent to prep school and made friends with would-be jockeys Frank Furlong and Bobby Petre – two riders who subsequently went on to win the Grand National

After leaving Eton at the age of 18, he was given a trial as a reporter on the Daily Mail where he was advised to work in provincial newspapers to gain wider experience as a journalist.

He worked as a sports reporter for three years on the Southern Echo at Southampton before joining this newspaper, ostensibly as a court reporter.

However, he was fortunate that the paper's then editor, Arthur Mann, was a keen follower of turf matters and appointed Mr Curling racing editor in 1936, a post he held until the outbreak of the Second World War.

As "Julius" he reported all the Yorkshire race meetings and became one of the country's most respected racing journalists with a keen eye for the form book.

A childhood hero of Mr Curling had been his uncle, Admiral Sir Lionel Wells, and in 1938 Mr Curling joined the Humber division of the RNVR. He was a naval signals officer throughout the war.

After the war, he returned briefly to the Yorkshire Post before being appointed The Daily Telegraph's racing correspondent in 1946, writing under the name "Hotspur" for 19 years.

He won many tipping competitions as "Hotspur"and became respected throughout the sport. He left the Telegraph to become public relations officer for the Jockey Club and National Hunt Committee from 1965 until 1969.

He wrote half a dozen books on horse-racing. Royal Champion (1980) was the story of the Queen Mother's career as an owner of steeplechasers. His last, The Sea Pigeon Story, appeared in 1982 and charted the story of the incredible hurdler, trained by Peter Easterby near Malton, who won two Champion Hurdles at the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival as well as major handicaps on the Flat, including the Ebor on York's Knavesmire.

Mr Curling spent much of his life in Hampshire. His wife, Elizabeth (Libby) Bonham, died in a motor accident in 1992. They had three sons and a daughter.