Famous football stars who share a love for horse racing

Football players and managers earn a lot of money so it’s not surprising many spend some of their spare time enjoying horse racing and many have even turned their hand to owning race horses. Here, we’ll look at famous football stars who love horse racing:

Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex is probably the most famous football star who’s involved in horse racing. Manchester United’s legendary former manager is best know for his success in football as he lead the Red Devils to 38 major trophies during a stunning 26-year career as manager. However, he’s also been involved in horse racing for over 25 years and was co-owner of Rock of Gibraltar with John Magnier and J.P.McManus.

Rock of Gibraltar was a superstar and was named as the 2002 European Horse of the Year having won 8 Group Ones in a row including the English and Irish Guineas. Fergie’s ownership turned sour following a bust-up with Magnier and McManus but he’s also owned a number of other horses including Harry The Viking and What A Friend.

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney is a well-known former footballer who has invested plenty of time in horse racing. The former Manchester United striker enjoyed a stellar career in football having won numerous trophies during his time at Old Trafford, however, he’s not been able to replicate that success as a race horse owner.  Rooney has owned at least three horses over the years but is yet to bag a big winner. His latest horse, Announcement, is co-owned with former team-mates Michael Carrick, John O’Shea and Jonny Evans.

Rooney is a big gambler and betting on horses couldn’t be easier these days as you can just go to the page at any top bookmaker and place you bet on an app or website, but it’s just not the same experience as actually going to the races in person. That’s why it’s such a popular sport, particularly with footballers, and his passion for gambling is what lured Rooney into horse racing.

Michael Owen

Michael Owen was a hugely successful footballer having played for the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid during his career while he also scored 40 goals in 89 caps for England. However, the retired striker now spends his time in horse racing and opened his own stable in Cheshire 15 years ago. Owen now owns a number of race horses and is a respected trainer, while he also rode Calder Prince to a second-placed finish at Ascot back in 2017.

His former Liverpool ‘Spice Boys’ team-mates Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman are also race horse owners and they are often spotted attending race meets together.

Ian Wright

The former hitman is an Arsenal legend after scoring 185 goals in 288 appearances for the Gunners and Wright has also forged a successful career in broadcasting as a football pundit since retiring from the game. However, Wright is also an avid lover of horses and is part of an ownership syndicate called Crowd Racing Partnership who have enjoyed good success over the years and famously secured a hat-trick of wins in 2015.

Joey Barton

The controversial former midfielder now spends much of his time in horse racing following his retirement from football and was the proud owner of Crying Lightening – who won a number of races during his career. Barton also owned several other horses – including My Propeller – and is often spotted at the major race meets.

Other football stars

Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller is heavily involved with horses as he owns his own stable with his wife, while the likes of Harry Redknapp, Rio Ferdinand, Sergio Ramos, Kevin Keegan, Diego Maradona and Mick Channon are just a few other well-known football stars who share a love for horse racing. Footballers earn millions these days so it won’t be a shock to see many more players dip into horse racing ownership over the coming years.