Sir Alex Ferguson’s hobby of being a horse racing owner and breeder has been a profitable one with horses under his ownership banking £6.8m in prize money, research by Boyle Sports has revealed.
The former Manchester United manager has found a lot of success in recent years from racehorse ownerships.
His best horse, Spirit Dancer, a recent addition to the stable, has bagged £1,707,530 on the track, recently winning feature races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
The Scotsman will be looking to reap more rewards at Cheltenham next week, with his main chance being with horses Protektorat or Hitman in the £375,000 Ryanair Chase, with both currently priced at 16/1 and 25/1 respectively, according to the latest Cheltenham betting via bookmaker BoyleSports.
Rock Of Gibraltar won £1,269,804 on the track, including a race at Royal Ascot, and even more as a top stallion. An argument about Fergie’s stake in this horse is rumoured to have resulted in fellow owners JP McManus and John Magnier selling their Manchester United shares to the Glazer family.
Fergie’s best jumps horse was Clan Des Obeaux, who won £1,076,186 and finished fifth in the 2019 Gold Cup when 5/1 second-favourite.
Fergie is one of the sport’s top owners, most of which he shares with friends John Hales, Ged Mason and the late Paul Barber. Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton train Sir Alex’s jumps horses, with Richard Fahey training the flat squad.
You would be £208.34 down if you bet £1 on every horse that has run for Sir Alex since he entered the world of horse ownership.
By comparison, the Queen won £8.7m from racing in 1988 to 2022 and fellow manager Harry Redknapp has bagged £778,774 from horses he has been associated with.
Sir Alex made headlines when parting with €740,000 to buy Caldwell Potter from Ireland. He won’t race at the Cheltenham Festival and is aimed at winning the 2026 Gold Cup.
The 13-time Premier League winner is yet to taste victory at the Cheltenham Festival. He has five leading hopes at Cheltenham this year, who could bag him £400,000 if they all win.
Thursday 14 March
2:10 Pertemps Network Final – Monmiral 25/1
2:50 Ryanair Chase – Protektorat 16/1, Hitman 25/1
4:10 TrustATrader Plate Il Ridoto 16/1
Friday 15 March
2:10 County Hurdle – L’Eau Du Sud 12/1
5:30 Martin Pipe – Sonigino 20/1
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