There is always a strong link between football and horse racing. Many players see it as a way to enjoy the sport in their downtime, and in some cases even invest in it. Thus, there have been several players to don a Newcastle shirt who have also been regulars at the race course. Below, we give three Newcastle legends who love horses.
Michael Owen
With Newcastle doing so well, it would be a shame for any of the players to have their heads turned by horse racing at this crucial point in the season. Yet the National is on the way, and it is a certainty the players and backroom staff at Newcastle United will be trying their luck with the Grand National 2023 betting. The new Saudi owners are also sure to have a look, as a country well known for its love of horses. Corach Rambler is still the favourite at 11/2, with Noble Yeats coming in at 8/1 second favourite in the horse racing betting odds.
One player often accused of spending more time on horses than his football while at the club was England legend Michael Owen. Rumour has it Owen became interested in racing at an early age when visiting the race with his father. With his football earnings, Owen opened Manor House Stables with Hugo Palmer. Situated in Cheshire, they train a large number of horses and have regular runners across the UK. Many of their horses are also owned by players and ex-players like Wayne Rooney. Let’s hope his horses do better than his tenure at the toon.
Micky Quinn
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Mick Quinn played for Newcastle between 1989 and 1992. He made 110 appearances for the club and scored 57 goals. However, his career off the pitch would be just as lucrative, and much of it was linked to horse racing.
After a brief spell in Greece at the end of his career, he did a total U-turn and went into horse racing. He built his stables at Newmarket and balanced this with his career as a broadcaster.
Kevin Keegan
Few Newcastle icons come as great as Kevin Keegan. He was a legend of eighties football, playing for Newcastle with his characteristic huge permed hairstyle. Helping them to promotion, he later returned as a manager in 1992, bringing about one of the club’s most successful periods in history. He later went on to manage England.
Throughout his career and even afterwards, Kevin Keegan was into horse racing in a big way. He ran his own stables for a while and owned several horses. Some of these were even trained by former footballer Mick Channon. A horse like Funfair Wane even managed to bag him some winners in great races like the Ayr Gold Cup.
These are not the only three, with others like Joey Barton and Chris Wood also being fans. The association with football and horse racing will long continue and with so many stables in the area, it can’t be long before a Newcastle United player owned horse wins a big race like the national.