ANTHONY JOSHUA got a cheeky text from Barry Hearn after a horse nicknamed after the boxer won the big race at Royal Ascot.
Subjectivist was a convincing 13-2 winner of the Gold Cup last Thursday, scooping a cool £213,016 for connections.
Frankie Dettori’s hero Stradivarius was going for a fourth win in the contest but could finish only fourth, more than seven lengths behind the winner.
After the race, ITV cameras cut to Barry and wife Susan, who bred the winner at their Mascalls Stud.
The couple were thrilled to see the Mark Johnston-trained horse shine on the biggest stage after coming through their yard.
But it was later that day that Hearn sent a message to heavyweight champ Joshua.
Hearn said: “Subjectivist’s nickname in the yard was AJ.
“I sent him a text saying, ‘you’re getting even more famous, your nicknamed horse has just won one of the biggest races in the world’.”
Turns out the horse has actually been more successful than AJ when you compare their last three contests.
Joshua famously lost to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019, before winning the rematch and his most recent bout against Kubrat Pulev last December.
Subjectivist has KO’d his rivals in his past three races, winning at Longchamp in Paris, Meydan in Dubai and, most recently, Ascot.
Much like AJ though, the horse has turned into a money-making machine.
He has won just shy of £750,000 in 17 races, establishing himself as one of the best four-year-olds in the world.
What’s more, he’s got the better of Tyson Fury.
Yes, a horse named after the Gypsy King made headlines when scooting up at Ascot last October.
But he was withdrawn from his run at the royal meeting – two months after he was also scratched from the Kentucky Derby.
As for the actual fight taking place in the ring, Hearn said: “I don’t think Tyson wants it that much.
“It could have happened. The deal in place was enough to make it happen.
“If it does happen sometime in the future it will be a blinder.”
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to SE. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
