Worth $600 million according to BRW magazine, all his riches have been made within four years. ''He's very good at what he does in the coalmining business, one of the smartest blokes I know in that area,'' media magnate and fellow racing fanatic John Singleton said. ''I like the bloke - he's good fun and all the business we've done has been mutually beneficial. He's more likely to stay in with his mates with a beer than stand in some art gallery sipping wine but I can relate to that.'' Mr Tinkler, who claims his sole qualification is a ''sparkie'' ticket from TAFE, began as an electrician in the Hunter Valley coalmines. His big break came in 2006, when he borrowed $500,000 to buy a mine in which others saw no potential. He lobbied Asian investors for the balance, some $29.5 million. Within 13 months he sold his company for $275 million. This year he floated another firm, earning himself another fortune.

Business observers believe he could have been cast from a similar mould to Kerry Packer. His bank balance may not yet be on par but he has a temper and turn of phrase that would have made the late tycoon proud. Mr Tinkler seems to have invested little in media training. Indeed, he prefers to issue statements rather than talk directly to journalists. When The Sun-Herald called to ask about his Bathurst chances, Mr Tinkler remembered this reporter from a previous story about equine dealings: ''You're a f---ing deadbeat. People like me don't bother with f---ing you. You climb out of your bed every morning for your pathetic hundred grand a year - good luck.'' He then made a remark about how this reporter was conceived, adding: ''There's a tall poppy syndrome: you would have heard of that because you hang around with the deadbeats and the losers who have done nothing with their lives.'' Long-time mates of Mr Tinkler call him ''every bit a normal country boy''. Highfalutin types on the wrong end of his business acumen regard him as a ''boofhead''. Many in Newcastle hail him as a saviour after he bought the Jets soccer team and pumped money into rugby league team the Knights. He has also supported world champion discus thrower Dani Samuels. Mr Tinkler boasts a host of beachfront homes around Newcastle, including league star Andrew Johns's former mansion in Merewether, bought for $4.3 million. There are also homes in Brisbane and the Hunter Valley and a fleet of luxury cars. His first love, though, is horse racing. In the past three years he has outlaid close to $200 million as he bought stud farms, training centres and horses of the bluest blood.

In a surprise move, he announced many of those gallopers would be moved from Sydney's leading training centre, Warwick Farm, to Broadmeadow track in Newcastle. Such investment in the Hunter, where he lives with wife Rebecca and their four children, has led some to hail him as the town's fairy godmother. That suggestion will resonate with his former teammates at the Muswellbrook Rams junior side, where he was nicknamed Tinkerbell if he made mistakes. ''I don't know him but the fact he's been prepared to take the Jets on is important to the city,'' Newcastle mayor John Tate said. ''He's very supportive of the Hunter area, where I believe he made his money, and I'm pleased he's put so much back.'' It's a line Mr Tinkler has promoted himself. On purchasing the Jets he said ''I have no desire to own a football club'' but said he did so for the benefit of the community.

He was similarly lauded when spending a fortune on racehorses as the bloodstock industry was struggling with the after-effects of equine influenza. But 2½ years on and some involved in the sport of klings have changed their minds. His racing interests go under the banner of Patinack Farm but wags dubbed it Pat'n'Sack for the speed with which Tinkler hired and fired. One of those dismissed, trainer Anthony Cummings, son of Melbourne Cup legend Bart, served papers in the Sydney's Supreme Court demanding $173,000 in unpaid fees in February. Mr Tinkler counter-sued for $6.4 million, though he has since withdrawn aspects of that claim. Loading A dispute between a group of horse owners and Mr Tinkler resulted in an ugly scene in the refined setting of the Flemington chairman's lounge in January. One of the owners, a Melbourne businessman in his 60s, said he had approached Mr Tinkler and asked to speak to him in private. The mining magnate responded in two short words then left the lounge.

But there are few signs he will be departing the rich list any time soon.