Former Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen is one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history. The Liverpool legend scored a lot of goals for club and country during his playing career.
Unlike some of his former teammates, Owen did not opt to go into coaching at the end of his career, instead, he has taken up a new sport, as he is heavily involved in horse racing. The former League Cup winner owns Manor House Stables in Cheshire, and his operation has had a lot of success around the world.
Roman Dragon under Ebrahim Nader win The Hawar Cup (Bahrain Turf Series) for Nick Hughes & Owen Promotions Ltd trained by Hugo Palmer ????????#bahrainturfclub #morevaluablethanever pic.twitter.com/DCqwITbk1g
— Bahrain Turf Club (@BahrainTurfClub) February 2, 2024
One of Owen’s biggest victories in horse racing came earlier this year in year in Bahrain. His horse, Roman Dragon, won the Hawar Cup. It was a huge success for the former Liverpool man as he also bred the horse.
The sprinter finished the race strongly in Bahrain to score by just less than a length. It was the sixth victory of his career. He will now head to Chester’s May Meeting with an important success behind him.
It is the second straight year that Owen has won a major international race early in the year. In 2023, he landed the Group Three Durkan Sprint at Al Rayyan in Qatar with Flaming Rib. The talented horse scooped the top prize of £189,378.
In March 2022, Owen hired leading Flat trainer Hugo Palmer to look after his horses at Manor House Stable. It was a big signing for Owen, as Palmer has a wealth of experience in the sport. He is a British Classic winner, as he landed the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in 2016 with Galileo Gold.
Palmer has helped Owen’s yard grow in numbers, and he has improved many of the horses in the stable. He won his first Group Success at Manor House Stables in 2022 when he prevailed in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh with Brad The Brief.
Owen and Palmer will be hoping they can land a Group One victory in 202, with the British Classics their primary focus. Their leading three-year-old filly is Kitteridge, who has an entry in the Oaks. As of the 16th of April, she is 50/1 in the horse racing odds for the fillies’ contest at Epsom in June.
The duo also have an entry in this year’s Derby with Under The Sun. The three-year-old colt broke his maiden at Salisbury last September. He will feature in the Dante Stakes at York on his next appearance in what is one of the leading trials for the British Classic in June.
Who remembers Brown Panther’s easy victory in the King George V Handicap at #RoyalAscot back in 2011?
He went on to compete in seven countries and win a host of top class races, capturing the heart of racing fans around the world. ❤#ThrowbackThursday #TBT pic.twitter.com/tAam3Zvy0G
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) May 23, 2019
Owen’s most successful horse since he took up the Manor House Stables has been Brown Panther. He gave him his first Royal Ascot winner when he landed the King George V Stakes by six lengths in 2011.
The talented stayer beat a strong field at Glorious Goodwood in 2012 when winning the Group Two Goodwood Cup, while his biggest triumph came at the back end of his career, as he won the Group One Irish St Leger in Ireland, beating some of Aidan O’Brien’s best runners.
Other notable victories for Owen’s gelding came in the Ormonde Stakes at Chester’s May Meeting and the Dubai Gold Cup on Dubai World Cup Night at Meydan in the UAE.
One of Owen’s new projects this year is his Racing Club which gives horse racing fans the opportunity to join a membership group to own some of his horses. This membership allows people the chance to see the horses at Manor House Stables at an annual yard visit, ballot winners will represent the club on race days, and everyone will receive regular written and video updates.
Owen set up the Racing Club to give people the chance to experience horse racing ownership who wouldn’t be able to afford to do so on their own. He is hoping the club will grow this year, creating a big community.
Just like during his football career where he won a European trophy with Liverpool, Owen is motivated to be the best in the sport. He has big ambitions and with the help of Palmer, it would be no surprise to see him achieve great things over the next few years.
