It’s no secret that footballers, and especially Premier League players, have two main characteristics in common: too much cash, and too much time on their hands.
Combine these two factors and it’s not exactly a surprise that so many footballers opt to spend some of their excess cash on a session at the races.
However, unlike the Average Joe, for whom a day at a racecourse takes up a few days’ wages, for footballers in the UK paid millions by their clubs each year, the temptation not just to bet on a horse but to buy one is often too strong to turn down.
Here’s a list of the top 10 football players who have turned their hand, successfully or not, to racehorse owning.
10. Wayne Rooney
Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney, along with his wife Colleen, co-own several horses, including the aptly named Switcharooney. He trains Switcharooney at former teammate Michael Owen’s stables, along with Pippy and Tomway, his other two horses.
The striker also has an interest in Sunderland defender John O’Shea’s horse, “Yourartisonfire”.
9. Joey Barton
Not always a big favourite among UK football fans, QPR midfielder Joey Barton is known for his love of creating controversy and also his penchant for indie music. So, it doesn’t exactly come as a shock that his racehorse is named after one of his all-time favourite songs; Crying Lightning is named after the Arctic Monkeys track of the same name.
8. Michael Owen
In at number eight on the list is striking legend Michael Owen, who has come in for an arguably unfair amount of criticism after apparently becoming more devoted to his horses than the tail end of his footballing career (no pun intended!)
Now retired from football apart from some commentary responsibilities with BT, Owen has invested plenty more time and money in his passion, and now boasts five horses. He also helps to train over 100 racehorses at his Manor House Stables, run by Tom Dascombe and co-owned by Betfair founder Andrew ‘Bert’ Black.
7. Alex Ferguson
You may remember Rock of Gibraltar, the horse who broke records and made the headlines back in 2002 by becoming the first horse to win seven Group 1 races. Rock of Gibraltar was famously co-owned by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Unfortunately things turned sour when Fergie took fellow owner John Magnier to court in an argument over the horse’s stud rights. Magnier responded by counter-suing Ferguson and the case was eventually settled out of court.
Now that he’s left the United managerial position, Fergie has invested more time in his passion and he has a close interest in several horses.
6. Alan Ball
Alan Ball became notorious during his managerial career for taking his players on trips to the racecourse for “team bonding” purposes.
The World Cup legend always listed racing as one of his passions, and had interests in numerous horses, most notably Pic Up Sticks, who won the £36,000 prize in the Emirates Airline Cup in Dubai nine years ago.
5. Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman
Partners in crime McManaman and Fowler come in at five on the list. They were, of course, teammates on the pitch and are now partners off it, co-owning a number of horses through their company named The Macca and Growler Partnership. Seebald is perhaps the most widely known of these horses, and glory came for the former Liverpool duo in 2003 when Seebald won the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Celebration Chase.
4. Francis Lee
Franny Lee’s life story is a pretty interesting one, the former England player finding fame at Manchester City before making his fortune in the toilet paper trade. He then became the chairman at Maine Road and also found time to turn his hand to racing, becoming a professional trainer and helping to develop famous horses such as Sir Henry Hardman, Allwight Then and Young Jason.
3. Kevin Keegan
Popular myth has it that Kevin Keegan’s father bought him his first pair of football boots after winning money at the races.
So, perhaps it’s unsurprising that Keegan grew up loving both football and racing. He owned horses trained by his former Southampton team-mate Mick Channon and even opened up his own stables in Hampshire.
2. Mickey Quinn
Mickey Quinn became a firm fans’ favourite at Portsmouth, Newcastle and Coventry, before opting to switch from football to racing when he failed to become manager of Burnley in 1996.
He still has stables in the UK horse racing capital of Newmarket, Suffolk, but lost his training license for a year and a half in 2001 after he was found guilty of neglecting three horses in his care.
1. Mick Channon
Coming in deservedly at number one on the list, Mick Channon, the former Southampton legend and England international, couldn’t wait to switch from football to racing, and is now the footballing name on our list most synonymous with the sport of horse racing.
He started working as an assistant racing trainer in 1986 and took just four years to branch out on his own in the racing world. Since then, he has become one of horse racing’s most respected trainers, producing his first Classic winner last year when Samitar won the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
