ENGLISH TEXTS come his stable - Manor House Stables . Once a dairy farm , this 68-hectare property in Cheshire has been transformed into a state-of-the-art training facility , complete with an inclined straight track , a spa and top-tier veterinary installations . His story is both unusual and widely admired . Rather than squandering his fortune on betting , Michael Owen was advised by an addiction psychologist to invest in his own stable . This led him to become both an owner and breeder , long partnered with Andrew Black , the businessman known for co-founding Betfair . However , Owen parted ways with Black in 2022 , around the same time as his longtime trainer Tom Dascombe . In truth , the English football prodigy was introduced to horse racing at a young age , at just 18 , alongside John Gosden . “ Racing has always been my passion ,” says the “ Little Prince of Wales ,” who made a rare appearance as a jockey in 2017 during a charity race at Ascot , finishing as runner-up . ( LINK ) “ It ’ s incredibly intense ,” he said at the time , “ like playing a World Cup quarter-final against Brazil . Jockeys are truly elite athletes - something you can only fully understand once you ’ ve been in the saddle yourself .” Three years ago , Michael
Owen hired Hugo Palmer , who relocated his stable from Newmarket to Cheshire . The results have followed . With 78 winners and 180 places in 2024 , Manor House Stables set a new earnings record of £ 1.484 million in a single year . Though Owen was a prodigy on the football pitch , his success in racing took longer to materialize . However , his horse Brown Panther , which he also bred , gave him a King George V Stakes win in 2011 , his first Group 1 victory in the Irish St . Leger in 2014 , and another triumph in the Dubai Gold Cup in 2015 . As a child , Owen dreamed of becoming “ the best footballer in the world .” Now 45 , his ambitions have shifted to what he calls his “ third great passion ” after his family ( his wife Louise and their four children ) and football . “ Success gives you a taste for future success ,” he often says . With 40 goals in 89 appearances for England , and 262 career goals , he is now focused on restructuring his stable , opening it up to syndication and launching a new ownership club — aptly named the Michael Owen Racing Club .
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By Serge Okey
VINCENT MARCHETTI
THE LATEST “ TRANSFER ” INTO THE WORLD OF HORSE RACING
Former captain of Ajaccio , Vincent Marchetti is not only on the verge of returning to Ligue 1 with Paris FC . On the racetrack side , he is about to compete in his first race under his newly registered silks . The journey of a bettor who never really imagined himself as an owner but now intends to remain one .
Galorama . You have just obtained your license . What led you to become an owner ?
Vincent Marchetti . Initially , I was more of a bettor . I enjoy studying the form , following the horses I spot , but becoming an owner … Being part of this world seemed a bit utopian . It was Hervé Gallorini , our masseur at Paris FC , who opened the doors for me . A real opportunity . I love to understand and learn . He showed me the behind-the-scenes at Auteuil . I discovered the stables , the stress , the atmosphere , the intensity at the edge of the track . We met the jockeys , followed a horse owned by Mr . Couderc throughout the day , and he won his race . That was the icing on the cake .
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