Sir Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp hit Cheltenham gunning for glory as the Irish takeover on St Patrick’s Day’s racing

9 months ago 75

SIR Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp are gunning for glory at Cheltenham – with the football legends saddling SEVEN runners between them on Thursday.

Cheltenham will turn green as the Irish takeover for their St Patrick’s Day racing.

Sir Alex has been earning serious coin from his horses this year and will hit Cheltenham chasing more cash[/caption]

While Harry Redknapp will be looking to point out a couple of winners on the day too[/caption]

There will be plenty of the black stuff flowing, but the two footie icons will be hoping it’s them who end up in the black with some huge winners.

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The biggest cheque will come Sir Alex’s way if he can land the Ryanair at 2.50 with either of his two runners.

The Manchester United icon, 82, bagged just under a million quid when his horse Spirit Dancer won in Saudi Arabia last month.

And he will fire Protektorat and Hitman at the Grade 1 race worth £218,000 to the winner.

He also has Monmiral in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle final at 2.10pm and Il Ridoto in the Plate two hours later, where victory will be worth £67,500.

While Redknapp is dreaming of winning the double — nearly a decade after he last managed in the Premier League.

Redknapp, 77, is a sporting legend, with a career spanning over half a century and a CV that includes an FA Cup triumph at Portsmouth.

He slugged it out with the biggest names in Europe as Tottenham boss, and is still hailed as a hero at West Ham, Portsmouth and Bournemouth.

Yet this time his sights are on something far different than title shoot-outs or Wembley triumphs.

Harry’s heart is set on owning a Cheltenham Festival winner - and with a touch of luck, it is a lifelong dream that could come true today. Twice.

He owns two horses outright, the first of which, Shakem Up’Arry, bids to go two places better than last year’s third place in the Plate.

Before Bowtogreatness guns glory in the Kim Muir Handicap Chase, the final race at 5.30pm.

Both are trained by in-form handler Ben Pauling — and both are well fancied to do the business at the home of National Hunt racing.

If just one of them manages it, Redknapp will celebrate more wildly than after any goal his team scored on a football field.

First up Shakem Up’Arry in the Plate.

Redknapp admitted: “He won the Paddy Power Chase here on New Year’s Day and has gone well at home, so hopefully he’ll give us a big run.

“He ran a great race to be third last year. The trip is fine, the course is fine and he likes to get his toe in, so all the rain they’ve had won’t be a problem either. Fingers crossed.”

And he is keen on the chances of Bowtogreatness too.

Redknapp said: “Ben’s always insisted he’ll win a big one, and hopefully this is it. He’s a good horse. It would be amazing if one of them won.

The Irish will takeover Cheltenham on Thursday for their St Patrick’s Day racing[/caption]

“For me it would be on a par with anything I won in football, even the FA Cup with Portsmouth.

“Everyone knows how much I love racing. Owning a winner at the Festival would be very, very special . . . a dream come true. Everything’s primed and ready to go and let’s face it, that’s what keeps us all in the game.

“We all go there hoping our horse will jump the last in front and power up that run-in — and Ben has got the pair of them spot on.”

Redknapp has been a Festival regular since his first visit when he was Bournemouth boss in the 1980s.

He revealed: “A big group of us came on a coach once, and I had a function that night, with the Lord Mayor of Bournemouth and others.

“As you can imagine on a bus load of lads who loved their booze more than their racing, they insisted on stopping at pretty much every pub on the way back.

“As you can guess, it was very late by the time we got back, about midnight I seem to remember. I never did get to that function with the mayor!

“I love Cheltenham. It’s a great week and I absolutely love it. If I owned a winner as well . . . that really would be the icing on the cake.”

He has Back On The Lash in the Kim Muir too, a horse he co-owns with three others.

After Gareth Bale’s agent was reduced to tears when won the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle with Ballyburn on Wednesday, maybe these two legends of the game will find the back of the net on Thursday.