The worlds of football and horse racing have collided countless times throughout history, with many footballers having keen interests in the equine sport. Clubs regularly have social events at some of the biggest meetings in the United Kingdom throughout the season, with Liverpool stars typically seen in attendance at Aintree, and Aston Villa famously visiting the Cheltenham Festival during their relegation scrap a couple of seasons ago.
Ownership of horses within the sport is also very popular among footballers, with Ian Wright, Wayne Rooney, and Robbie Fowler all getting involved in the sport throughout their careers. However, two of the strangest bedfellows to go into business together come in the form of Claudio Pizarro and Joey Barton.
How Did They End Up Buying a Horse?
One of the strangest partnerships in sporting history was born after it was announced that former Bayern Munich and Chelsea striker, Claudio Pizarro, would be joining forces with former Manchester City star, Joey Barton, as part-owners for a horse called Crying Lightning. The runner was named in honour of the first release from Arctic Monkeys’ third studio album ‘Humbug’.
Despite never playing for the same club, the two joined forces after sharing the same racing manager. After conversations between the footballers, an agreement was reached to co-own the same horse. Pizarro is no stranger to owning horses, as he recalled that he had a number of runners in Peru, which were all named after Germany cities or ex-professional footballers.
The former striker’s love for the sport far outweighs most stars, as it was revealed that Pizarro owns over 50 horses in South America and is regularly sighted at the racing in horse racing tournaments in his home country since his retirement. You can find out more about these tournaments here.
Limited Success on Track
The partnership between Pizarro and Barton failed to create much success on track, as Crying Lightning struggled for victories throughout his career. The runner won on three occasions from 13 starts, but he did land a lucrative purse when landing victory in the October Stakes at Ascot when beating the field by just under a length.
However, that was his only victory in ten attempts in stakes company. Time was called on his career and he was sent to stud after finishing seventh in the G3 Endeavour Stakes at the start of February 2012. He was at his best over seven furlongs, and promised a lot during his early career after finishing second in the G3 Sweet Solera Stakes and fourth in a French Group Three.
However, connections opted against a traditional route toward the top races in Europe in 2011 after sending Crying Lightning to compete for big purses in the Middle East at Meydan with limited success.
Barton’s Continued Dabbles in Racing
While Pizarro continues to own horses in his home country of Peru, Barton has also remained interested in buying racehorses in the United Kingdom. A common trend with the former City star’s horses is that they all appear to be named after songs, with another Arctic Monkeys-inspired horse coming in the form of My Propeller.
The runner landed four victories in 19 attempts on track, and was a two time winner in stakes company over five furlongs. However, his most lucrative win came over the distance in handicap company, with Frankie Dettori taking the ride at York in September 2012.
Barton also named a horse in honour of his favourite song by The Smiths, Hand In Glove. The former footballer would achieve success with this runner during his career, including being placed in two races when aged two. However, he failed to make the progression as a three-year-old.
Famous Footballing Success on Track
While horse racing success was challenging to achieve for the team of Pizarro and Barton, there have been countless other stars from the world of football to achieve major victories on track. Most recently, Sir Alex Ferguson continued his dominance in the sport after landing victory in the G1 Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival with Protektorat.
However, the most significant win of his racing ownership career came back in 2002 as Fergie part-owned G1 2,000 Guineas winner Rock Of Gibraltar. Harry Redknapp is another manager that has experienced major success on the track. Shakem Up’arry gave the former Tottenham boss a first Cheltenham Festival success in March after landing the Plate Handicap Chase. There will be high hopes among connections for the 2024-25 season, as a potential tilt at the Grand National has been teased.
Michael Owen has also experienced huge success since retiring from football and turning his attention to horse racing. Brown Panther was his most successful runner, landing victories in the King George V Stakes and Irish St Leger, before securing a huge purse when taking victory in the Dubai World Cup in 2015.
