Sir Alex Ferguson won 38 trophies at Man Utd – but thinks racing kept him in job
Sir Alex Ferguson believes his passion for horse racing helped him remain at Manchester United for so long.
The legendary Scotsman was in charge of the Red Devils for 27 years, winning two Champions League titles, 13 Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, Five League Cups, and the Club World Cup. However, he has also been in love with all things horses and was a part owner of the iconic racehorse Rock of Gibraltar.
Nearly ten years since he emotionally announced his retirement from elite football management, Ferguson can still be found at the most prestigious race courses in the country. And he believes his love for horse racing may have helped him remain at the top level for so long.
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“After a hard game on a Saturday, you are out in the open,” he said in an interview with the Yorkshire Post in 2014, when asked how he recovered from tiring football seasons. “No-one can get hold of you, mobiles phones are off, you are out in the fresh air.
“No-one can bother you. Perfect. More and more, the horse racing compensated me for any time we lost.
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“It got any disappointment out of the system. Having another interest, it probably kept me in the job (at Old Trafford) longer. Definitely.” He struck up a close friendship with legendary horse trainer Jack Berry, who helped him take his first baby steps into racing.
“When I decided to get into the horse racing game, I wanted a horse in the North and Jack was having plenty of winners, over 100 a year,” Ferguson added. “I was getting to the time when I was totally obsessed with Manchester United, on the phone from 6am until 9pm at night. My wife Cathy said ‘you are going to kill yourself’.
“It was easy for us to get up every Sunday morning and get to Cockerham to see the horse on the gallops and enjoy the hospitality of Jack and his wife Jo. They were a great help to me. My first horse was named after the ship my Dad helped to build on the Clyde.”
Ferguson has enjoyed plenty of success at Aintree over the years, including 12 months ago when three horses he part-owned combined for a 108/1 treble.
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