Celebrity Racehorse Owners
Whether it’s at Royal Ascot or the Cheltenham Festival, famous faces have always been easy to spot at the races. Not many people know, though, that some of them actually own horses too.
It can be difficult to ascertain the exact reason as to why certain celebrities purchase horses, but it must be down to their love of the sport and the animals which play such an integral role in the excitement horse racing provides.
In the same way, football club owners don’t necessarily make vast sums of cash from owning a League One football club, neither do racehorse owners on the whole.
For the most part, owning a horse has more outgoings than it has incomings unless, of course, you’re part of a winning combination which reigns supreme in one of the major races on the calendar.
It doesn’t always go to plan, though, as Happy Mondays star Bez recently found out. Bez isn’t the only celebrity who owns a racehorse. Below is a look at some of horse racing’s other famous owners.
Liz Hurley First Got Involved In 2009
British actress Liz Hurley is regularly spotted at both Epsom and Ascot races and owns several horses. The Bedazzled and Austin Powers star even sold one of her beloved horses, Memory, to the Queen for breeding purposes in 2011.
A well-connected face in the sports racing arena, Hurley originally got into the sport after becoming good friends with Highclere Thoroughbred Racing supremo Harry Herbert back in 2009 when the pair met at a party.
Success Away From Football For Sir Alex
One of the greatest managers to have ever graced the game of football, Sir Alex Ferguson’s successful sporting achievements don’t end at his beloved Manchester United.
The Scottish legend is a massive fan of horse racing, owning Rock of Gibraltar with Sue Magnier and achieving huge feats such as being named the 2002 European Horse of the Year.
Running in Manchester United colours, it has brought in over £1.1 million in earnings at the time of writing. Fergie also co-owns Give Me A Copper and the King George VI Chase, Clan Des Obeaux.
Her Majesty Has Been A Horse Owner Longer Than She’s Been The Queen
The Queen is a highly successful horse owner, earning winnings of £7 million over the years. She has actually been a horse owner longer than she has been Queen of England after inheriting King George VI’s breeding and racing stock in 1953.
With her father’s superb selection of horses, she has recorded numerous victories, including having four winners at Ascot.
Academy Award Winner Adores Horses
A legend of the big screen and an Academy Award winner, Dame Judi Dench is a lover of all things horse racing and actually co-owns a horse called As De Mee.
A previous horse of Dench’s called Smokey Oakey managed to win £200,000 in prize money before it was forced to retire, too.
Other celebrity racehorse owners include Ronnie Wood, Steven Spielberg, Jeremy Kyle, Michael Owen, Richard Hammond, and Carol Vorderman.
