Horse that led to Glazer’s purchase of Man Utd Rock of Gibraltar dies aged 23

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    Rock of Gibraltar, the iconic racehorse that ended up being the catalyst to the Glazer family’s purchase of Manchester United, has died at the age of 23-years-old from heart failure.

    While the 2002 European Horse of the Year, worth £200million, was the first to earn seven consecutive Group 1 wins in the Northern Hemisphere, equating to race winnings of £1.2m, he is best remembered for being at the centre of an unfortunate feud between Sir Alex Ferguson and Old Trafford stakeholders John Magnier and partner J.P McManus.

    The dispute, which mainly concerned the horse’s breeding rights, eventually instigated the Glazers’ controversial takeover of the Red Devils. But after the beautiful horse’s recent death, Daily Star Sport considers the almighty dispute that changed the course of history for United.

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    Rock of Gibraltar was part-owned by Ferguson and Susan Magnier, who was the wife of then United shareholder John Magnier. The horse won 10 of his 12 starts and managed to amass winnings off almost £1.2m. However, when the horse retired from racing, Ferguson was of the impression he also owned some of the breeding rights to the iconic horse.

    Unfortunately for the Scot, the breeding rights belonged to Magnier and McManus, who owned Coolmore – the biggest breeding operating on the planet for race course horses. Ferguson was so miffed by the disagreement, he decided to launch legal proceedings against Coolmore, lighting the flame of an incredible saga that shifted the path United would take.

    Ferguson had essentially began ugly legal proceedings against the very owners of the club he manages. Unsurprisingly, this did not go down well with Magnier and McManus, who responded in spectacular fashion, by submitting an unforgettable list of 99 questions, demanding to know about certain aspects of the club’s finances – they even threatened to take ‘legal action’ against the club.

    What is your reaction to this crazy tale of horses and Manchester United? Let us know in the comments section below

    While the rest of the world watched the situation unfold with their jaws wide open, the Glazer family were in the process of opening their wallets. Having already got one foot in the Old Trafford doors by purchasing 2.9% of shares at the club, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers chiefs were not satisfied with their small slice of the pie.

    Magnier and McManus were also increasing their shares within the club through their company Cubix Expression. Malcolm Glazer’s shares increased to 3.17%, 8.93%, 15%, 16.31%, 19%, before they were close to earning 30%. Eventually, the Glazers reached out to Magnier and McManus, offering to buy Cubic Expression’s 28.7% stake in the club in May 2005, which they very quickly accepted.

    One month later, 98% of the club belonged to the Glazers, in a takeover worth close to £800m. Who would have thought one horse could unintentionally cause all of this bedlam?

    While United’s ownership completely changed, Ferguson decided to settle the matter outside of court for a one-off payment of £2.5m. "Rock of Gibraltar was a wonderful horse; he became the first in the northern hemisphere to win seven consecutive Group 1 races, beating Mill Reef’s record,” Ferguson wrote in his 2013 autobiography. "He ran in my colours under an agreement I had with the Coolmore racing operation in Ireland. My understanding was that I had a half-share in the ownership of the horse; theirs was that I would be entitled to half the prize money.

    "But it was resolved. The matter was closed when we reached a settlement agreeing that there had been a misunderstanding on both sides. Obviously, there was a potential clash between my racing interests and the ownership of the club, and when a man stood up at the AGM and insisted that I resign, there was awkwardness for me.

    "I have to say that at no point was I side-tracked from my duties as manager of Manchester United. It didn’t affect my love of racing and I am on good terms now with John Magnier, the leading figure at Coolmore."

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