Alex Ferguson and Michael Owen were relentless with horse racing chat at Man Utd

As well as being one of the most successful managers in football history, Sir Alex Ferguson is also somewhat of an expert when it comes to horse racing.

The legendary former Manchester United boss is a well-known racing fan and has even part-owned a few horses over the years, including 2002 European Horse of the Year Rock of Gibraltar.

And he was not alone in obtaining a passion for the sport during his iconic stint at Old Trafford, as several of his players were also mad for it – none more so than Michael Owen.

The ex-England striker, who signed for United at the back end of his career in 2009, has even had his own horse-racing stables since 2006 – named Manor House Stables.

According to former Red Devils striker Dimitar Berbatov, Owen and Ferguson were relentless with their racing chat in the Old Trafford dressing room.

“I’ve been to the racing – but don't ask me for tips!” Berbatov told Betfair during the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.

“I went to the horse racing when I was at United with all the boys and when I was at Spurs we went to greyhound racing. I know people really enjoy it and people find it fascinating, I respect it and it's a massive sport.

“At United, I was in the dressing room with Sir Alex, who has a stable of horses and Michael Owen, who has a stable of horses and they were talking about racing all the time! All the players in the changing room were sharing tips with Sir Alex.

“Wayne Rooney, John O'Shea and Darren Fletcher used to own a horse together, I never paid much attention to their tips because I didn't know what they were talking about. It was like they were talking alien to me. So don't ask for my Cheltenham tips!”

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  • Owen revealed in his 2019 autobiography that he actually spent more time discussing horse racing than football in a meeting with Ferguson before he signed for United.

    He said: “Arriving ten minutes early was the target. I was desperate to impress him in every way. I drove to his house and pressed the buzzer.

    “Obviously I knew him given our shared interest and connections in horse racing, so we probably spent more time talking about racing than football in that first meeting.

    “Strangely, I don’t think he ever directly said that he wanted to sign me. It was just assumed on both sides.”

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