Alex Ferguson’s Racehorses

Mention the name of Alex Ferguson to pretty much anyone who has ever paid any attention to the news and they will be able to tell you that he used to be a football manager. In fact, he was one of the most successful football managers of all time, with only Liverpool’s Bob Paisley boasting a better record of trophies-per-season-in-charge than the Red Devils’ former boss.

Yet those that know Ferguson’s story a little better will be able to inform you that he also spent time associated with racehorses, which continued well after his retirement from football. The question is, when did his love for the sport begin and how did it manifest?

How ‘Fergie’ Got into Horse Racing

It would be easy to associate Alex Ferguson’s love of horse racing with his time as a successful football manager, but in reality, it actually began a lot earlier. It was his father that got him into the sport, who was a big fan of racing himself. Ferguson spoke to Racing TV about the way in which his dad would sit with the Timeform book ‘every Saturday morning’ and look through all of the information that he could find about the various races. It took until 1997-1998 before Ferguson got into it enough to decide that becoming an owner was a sensible thing to do with his time and his money, taking his wife to a racecourse during an international break.

The racecourse that he took her to was Cheltenham, at which point he was hooked just like his father had been. Unlike his father, who had been a plater’s helper in the shipbuilding industry of Glasgow, Ferguson could actually afford to buy a racehorse. He bought one with Jack Berry, seeing it is as the perfect sport to give him a release away from the world of football. By 2023 he was involved in 32 races, with famous names like Protektorat and Clan Des Obeaux running in Ferguson’s colours. A year later and he broke the world record for a second time to buy Regent’s Stroll, working with others to pay £660,000 for the unbeaten racehorse.

Best Horses Owned by Ferguson

The Scottish football manager won everything that there was to win during his time in charge of Manchester United, but things have been a bit different when it comes to the world of horse racing. Although he’s been able to invest huge sums of money buying various horses and paying for them to be trained with the best in the business, quite how well each of the horses has done has been somewhat out of his hands. Even so, there are some standout names on the list of horses that have run under Ferguson’s colours over the years, proving that he does still have the Midas touch when it matters.

Queensland Star

Queensland Star might not be the first one that everyone looks at in terms of the most successful horse under ‘Fergie’s’ banner, but he was the one that got it all started. Having crossed paths with Jack Berry numerous times in the past, he was eventually tempted into paying £17,000 for Queensland Star, who won his first race under the Scot at Newmarket in 1998.

Clan Des Obeaux

Clan Des Obeaux is another one that will live long in the memory for the Scot and his supporters, thanks to the fact that he managed to win the King George VI Chase with the horse on two separate occasions. Add in big ones on Merseyside and Punchestown and you can see why he’s a horse well-loved.

Was Rock of Gibraltar Responsible for the Downfall of Manchester United?

In the eyes of some, there is reason to believe that Alex Ferguson’s love of horse racing is what ultimately cost Manchester United the club’s dominance of the English game. It all started with a horse sired by Danehill and named after the Rock of Gibraltar. For the vast majority of his ownership he ran under Alex Ferguson’s colours, having been co-owned by the Scot and Susan Magnier, the wife of racing tycoon, John Magnier.

It was during their ownership that he made a name for himself, winning the Grand Criterium and the Dewhurst as a two-year-old before adding the 2,000 Guineas, Irish 2,000 Guineas, Prix du Moulin, Sussex Stakes and St James’s Palace Stakes as a three-year-old.

Lawsuit Filed for Stud Money

Having won more than £1 million in prize money, it was hardly a surprise when the owners decided to put him out to stud. That, though, is when the trouble began. Ferguson believed that he was due half of any stud fees that the horse earned, with a 2003 statement from Coolmore Stud reading:

Coolmore Stud has today been advised that legal proceedings have been initiated against Mr John Magnier by Sir Alex Ferguson, alleging certain ownership rights to the Stallion Rock of Gibraltar. Coolmore Stud and John Magnier consider the action to be without merit and it will be vigorously defended.

John Magnier a Major Shareholder of Man United

From the outside it didn’t look particularly noteworthy, unless you also knew that John Magnier was the major shareholder of Manchester United at the time that Ferguson launched his legal proceedings. Any hopes of a deal being reached were scotched when Magnier decided to counter-sue Ferguson, who rumours had suggested was gearing up to ask for a one-off payment rather than 50% of stud fees. Magnier essentially asked Ferguson to prove what his ownership claims were, whilst also asking for a probe into the transfer dealings of Manchester United, saying they had ’99 questions’ that needed to be answered.

Man United’s Ultimate Decline

The issue around the ownership of the horse was eventually settled out of court, but there were many that believed that it began Manchester United’s decline. There was a clear split between Ferguson and his Irish allies on the board, which paved the way for Malcolm Glazer and others to takeover the football club. That began when Magnier and his business partner JP McManus sold their interest in the club to the American in exchange for around £100 million. The Glazers, of course, were able to use Manchester United as the ‘world’s biggest cash machine‘ and the Red Devils have not enjoyed anywhere near the same success since Alex Ferguson retired.