The Grand National is the most famous horse racing event in the world It is always attracts some of the biggest names in showbiz.
But some stars love racing so much that they go beyond the occasional hustle, opting to buy their own horses to compete.
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Former Premier League football manager Harry Redknapp was among those at Aintree, with two of his 18 horses – Shakem Up’Arry and The Jukebox Man – both competing.
He was hoping to build on big wins at Cheltenham last month in two races on yesterday’s Ladies Day, although he did not take part in the Grand National main event.
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson also recently scored a double victory at Cheltenham with his racehorses Monmiral and Protektorat.
The football legend pocketed £275,000 in Festival winnings.
They’re not the only celebrities to delve into the world of racing – albeit with widely varying fortunes…
Queen Elizabeth
The late Queen Elizabeth II was probably the country’s most famous and prolific racing fan and owner.
And she was reportedly the most successful, having earned over £8.7 million in winnings over the years.
She had been a horse owner longer than the queen, inheriting the breeding and racing cattle of her late father, King George VI, shortly before his coronation in 1953.
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She had four winners at Ascot in 1957 and came close to winning the Grand National as an owner just a year earlier.
Over the years, the Queen’s horses have won more than 550 races.
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Carol Vorderman and Richard Hammond
They might be an unlikely partnership, but Carol could certainly calculate the odds and Richard could calculate the speed of their racehorses.
The former Countdown presenter and former Top Gear presenter joined forces in 2019 to buy his first horse, Subway Surf.
Carol, 63, is a long-time racing fan and was accustomed to horses with her Countdown partner Richard Whitely, the best known of whom was Mare of Wetwang.
Neither horse was world champion, but that didn’t stop Carol and Richard Hammond from being regular fans on the racing circuit.
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Liz Hurley
Actress Liz, 58, is in much esteemed company as a member of the Highclere Thoroughbred racing syndicate.
Other investors include chef Heston Blumenthal, actor Hugh Bonneville and athlete Denise Lewis.
Liz owns shares in several different horses and even sold her horse Memory to the Queen in 2011 for breeding purposes for £500,000.
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Dame Judi Dench
Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench knows a thing or two about lifting a trophy – and her racehorses have no problem taking first place either.
In an unlikely partnership between Hollywood and football, Dame Judi, 89, co-owns the winning Outlaw Peter with Sir Alex Ferguson and friends, which took home almost £100,000 in prize money.
His previous horses include Smokey Oakey, who had career earnings of more than £300,000 before retiring, and runner As De Mee, who was due to run in the 2018 Grand National but was forced to withdraw due to a leg injury.
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Mike Tindal
It will come as no surprise that former rugby star Mike is a fan of the Gee-Gees as he is married to royal equestrian Zara.
In 2014, Mike, 45, hit the headlines after investing £12,000 for a share in a horse called Monbeg Dude.
Despite being a 40/1 outsider, the horse finished third in that year’s Grand National, earning the couple £105,000.
He and his co-owners have poured money into the sport, investing in a racehorse breeding program in Australia.
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Wayne and Coleen Rooney
The couple became interested in racing in 2011 – but their thoroughbreds failed.
They invested £200,000 in the racehorses Pippy and Switcharooney, but two years later they were retired having only won one race between them.
Filly Pippy cost Wayne, 38, and Coleen, 37, a staggering £63,000.
The horse had his first and only victory in August 2012 at Wolverhampton after 17 races.
But a lack of racing success doesn’t stop Coleen from being a regular at Aintree every year for the Grand National and Ladies’ Day.
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Geri Horner
Ginger Spice and her Formula 1 boss husband Christian Horner, 50, may have had their own ups and downs lately, but they hope their racehorses have plenty of zig-a-zig-ah.
The couple own a variety of horses, all named after 51-year-old Geri’s solo career – Look at Mee, Lift Me Up, Mi Chico Latino and It’s Raining Men.
Lift Me Up, also known by his stable name Hector, scored his first win at Newbury last year and the couple’s aim is to have a winner at Cheltenham.
The couple also own a horse racing company called OMBI, established in 2021, and list the nature of their business as “racehorse owner activities”.
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Ronnie Madeira
It seems Rolling Stone can’t get any satisfaction from owning racehorses – and he once described it as “throwing money down a hole.”
But his beloved horse Sandymount Duke had 10 career wins, earning around £125,000 and narrowly missed a Grand National match due to injury.
The rocker was devastated when his horse died of a heart attack in 2019.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
