Which Football Stars Have a Keen Interest in Horse Racing?
Over the past few decades, we have seen a rise in professional footballers becoming more interested than ever in horse racing.
Some footballers like to attend the UK’s biggest horse racing events and bet on their favourite horse. In contrast, others have taken it a step further and ventured into the exciting world of thoroughbred horse racing ownership.
Let’s dive straight in to reveal the names of several famous footballers who have shown a keen interest in horse racing in one capacity or another.
Famous footballers [and managers] who have strong ties with horse racing
Over the past few decades, many famous footballers and former managers have been spotted at some of the UK’s biggest horse racing events, such as The Grand National, the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot, and the Epsom Derby.
The five most famous faces from the footballing world who have either purchased their own horses to race at one or more of these events or have been frequently spotted in the VIP areas watch the action are the following:
1. Sir Alex Ferguson
2. Michael Owen
3. Robbie Fowler
4. Wayne Rooney
5. Rio Ferdinand
Traditionally, when most people think about placing sports bets and hear any of these names, they naturally think of football betting sites, not horse racing betting sites. However, today, more people than ever tend to think of horse racing when they hear their names.
Michael Owen
Former footballer Michael Owen has taken horse racing more seriously than any other football icon and has managed to carve out a relatively successful career for himself in the horse racing world since retiring from football in 2013.
He earned millions throughout his lucrative career as a professional footballer, having had successful spells as a striker at Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, and Manchester United.
He used some of the millions he earned to invest in Manor House Stables – a 174-acre estate with cutting-edge facilities. Owen’s most successful time as a racehorse owner came at the 2015 Dubai Gold Cup, when his horse, Brown Panther, rode to victory.
That wasn’t Brown Panther’s only success. He also won the Irish St Ledger at The Curragh and the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson is the most successful former football manager in the horse racing world. Many of his horses are frequently seen racing at notable UK events. ‘What a Friend’ has raced several times at Cheltenham, and Harry the Viking has raced at the Grand National.
More recently, six of his horses, Protektorat, Sonigino, L’Eau Du Sud, Hitman, Il Ridotto, and Monmiral, raced at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. Protektorat ended up winning the Ryanair Chase, much to the pleasure of Ferguson.
Monmiral, trained by Paul Nichols, also came from behind to win the Pertemps Hurdle Final.
Wayne Rooney
The former Manchester United striker has also owned a few thoroughbred horses over the past decade, although he hasn’t quite achieved anywhere near the level of success of Michael Owen and Alex Ferguson.
However, it might not be too long before we hear of Rooney’s horses winning major events like Ferguson and Owen’s horses have.
Many of you will already be familiar with several other footballers who have also shown an interest in the horse racing world, such as Ian Wright, Joey Barton, and Thomas Muller.
Other keen racegoers are Michael Carrick, Sergio Ramos, Harry Redknapp, Sam Allardyce, Jonny Evans, and John O’Shea.
Final thoughts
Some of you may have been wondering how much money it takes to get into horse ownership. The good news for some of you is that you don’t need millions lying around like these footballers. In fact, you can spend as little as £100 for a share in a racehorse.
These footballers and managers have proved that horse racing can be just as exciting and lucrative as football. The next time you tune in to watch a major UK horse racing event, don’t forget to take a closer look to see if you can see any of the names mentioned on this page.