Zoffee (right) is a horse owned by Michael Owen. (Image: Getty)
He lit up venues like Anfield, Old Trafford, and the Bernabeu during his iconic football career, but for , no sporting venue gets the juices flowing quite like Cheltenham Racecourse. The former England striker, who founded the Michael Owen Racing Club, has graced one of horse racing’s most famous festivals for over 25 years, both as a punter and a trainer.
The 2025 l gets underway tomorrow and Owen, 45, will have a vested interest. Since retiring from professional football in 2013, he’s ramped up his involvement in racing, and many footballers have joined him. Owen has revealed that those involved in his stable include previous team-mates and managers, as well as those still playing at the top level.
“Six of the team own horses with us, has had two horses with me,” he told . “And there’s a group of my colleagues of ex-players and TV colleagues like Paul Scholes, Steve McManaman, Ian Wright, Owen Hargreaves and Andy Townsend to name a few.
“A lot of the Burnley team have got horses with us as well so there is a big passion for horses and racing. My business owns a lot of horses for them.”
Michael Owen played for some high-profile clubs before retiring in 2013. (Image: Getty)
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The , and man first graced the Cheltenham Festival aged 18, just months before he exploded onto the scene at the 1998 World Cup. There, he met AP McCoy, and by his own admission, became hooked on the sport.
Owen notoriously joined United for three seasons at the tail-end of his career, a move that arguably ruined his legacy with fans of The Reds. However, it did yield his only title win in the 2010/11 season, and his connection with Sir Alex Ferguson has continued through racing.
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“Our passions absolutely crossed paths, I think he only signed me so he could share tips,” joked Owen. “Sir Alex calls me most Saturdays and we talk about football and racing.
“As I say he has had two horses trained at my stables so we have a lot in common, and, of course, he is obviously retired now and following his horses around the world and having great success so it’s great to see. We used to talk at about horses and tips.”