16 February 2024 , 18:14
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Former Manchester United star Gary Pallister has joked that Sir Alex Ferguson has become "a bit of a hypocrite" with his interest in horse racing.
The legendary manager is known for his love of the racecourse and is an owner of several horses. When he was in charge at Old Trafford though, Ferguson wasn't a fan of his players enjoying a day at the races, despite now being a regular attendee himself.
The Scot ran a tight ship whilst he was at the helm in Manchester with players who stepped out of line feeling his wrath, many of them eventually being ushered out the door. He's now been retired for more than a decade though and his former player believes his love of racing has added to his life.
Pallister told The Winners' Enclosure, who provide the latest Cheltenham tips: “We had days at Chester races, usually at the end of the season. The great thing about the gaffer was he didn’t like us playing golf during the week and he didn’t like us going horse racing during the week. So he didn’t like horse racing, and he didn't like golf but now he owns horses and has his own golf day! So he’s a bit of a hypocrite, bless him!
“His golf days are fantastic and his love of horses I think has given him a real interest since he’s retired from football. He’s got an investment in racing now in ownership and he’s had some great horses."
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Back in November Ferguson claims he experienced his "best ever" victory in horse racing as Spirit Dancer claimed success in the Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy. The Scot co-owns with Ged Mason and Fred Done and also bred the horse.
He said immediately afterwards: " That is the best moment (of my racing life), no doubt. When you looked at the field I was worried. Godolphin, O’Brien, Fabre they’ve all got horses here. And we are just a wee stable from Yorkshire. It was a fantastic performance. He won well.
Sir Alex Ferguson remains heavily involved in the horse racing scene“When he hit the front, Ged just jumped on me! 100 yards out he looked like he was going to win but I didn’t want to count my chickens. I was just praying and he carried me over the line with him. He won well, won easy.”
Rio Ferdinand has previously joked that the majority of United's training sessions were taken by Ferguson's various assistants with the manager prepping his bets. He once said: "He's speaking to his bookie about which horse he's backing. That's the person he has most conversation with."
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