Celebrities have it all: offshore bank accounts, fame, models as wives, expensive cocaine habits, even more expensive divorce attorneys, personal plastic surgeons, friends in government and … racehorses. Once only affordable to royalty, thoroughbreds are now viewed as essential accessories by celebrities who wish to cultivate an image of understated refinement.
Here are some of the most famous celebrities who own racehorses:
Sir Alex FergusonManchester United’s plum-faced manager’s status as an adrenaline junkie is confirmed by his hobby of racehorse ownership. Ferguson is part owner of one of the most successful thoroughbred racehorses of the 21st century, 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas winner, Rock of Gibraltar. After Rock of Gibraltar’s retirement, the combative Ferguson proceeded to get into an acrimonious feud with co-owner Sue Magnier over ownership of their racehorses. |
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Steven SpielbergHollywood’s most famous director is an avid racing fan. His best known racehorse is Atswhatiamtalkingabout, (apparently named to make racing commentators’ jobs easier), who ran in the Kentucky Derby and was co-owned by Spielberg as part of the Biscuit Stables consortium. |
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MC HammerFamous for earning, and then squandering, a fortune, MC Hammer was also a serious thoroughbred owner during his heyday. The rapper established Oaktown Stables during the peak of his career, investing over $1 million in the enterprise. His best known racehorses were grade 1 stakes winner Lite Light and Kentucky Derby 3rd place finisher Dance Floor. |
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Burt BacharachAmerican songwriter and composer Burt Bacharach is famous for writing tunes like ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head’. He is less well known for his passion for horseracing. Bacharach bought his first racehorse in 1983, and was so taken with his new hobby that he stopped writing music for 6 months. Today, Bacharach owns a large stable of racehorses and has competed in the Kentucky Derby three times. |
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The QueenThe Queen is a celebrity in her own right, and therefore qualifies as one of the world’s most famous celebrity racehorse owners. Although she hasn’t enjoyed a particularly successful record in the United Kingdom’s most famous races, she nevertheless invests substantially in the Royal Stables, and is frequently seen at major racing events like Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival races. |
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Albert BroccoliThe director responsible for introducing Ian Fleming’s James Bond to the world was an avid racing enthusiast. Albert Broccoli enjoyed success in thoroughbred racing thanks to the eponymous colt, ‘Brocco’, who provided Broccoli with his greatest achievement in thoroughbred racing, a win in the $2 million Breeder’s Cup Juvenile at the 1993 Breeders’ Cup meeting. |
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Freddie StarrMost people in the United Kingdom will remember Freddie Starr as the comedian who gained notoriety for a headline in the Daily Mirror that claimed he had eaten a hamster. The truth of the matter is that Starr’s publicist fabricated the story, and that Starr was far more interested in owning racehorses than in eating rodents. Starr won one of the toughest races in the world in 1994, when his Martin Pipe-trained Minnehoma won the Aintree Grand National. |
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