FOOTBALL fever is reaching the racing world with a horse to be named after manager Gareth Southgate.
The Three Lions are set for a semi-final clash with Denmark on Wednesday and trainer Amy Murphy is well and truly behind the team.
The Newmarket handler – ironically based at Southgate stables – is set to name a horse after the England boss.
She has reserved the name ‘Southgate’ to be used when she next heads to the sales.
Murphy said: “We’re always trying to be inventive and think of different ways to attract owners into the yard.
“The yard is called Southgate Stables, so as soon as they got through the group round it made sense to go and reserve it.
“In this game you’ve got to always be looking for new ideas and new ways to move forward, that one connection with somebody new or existing can only be good.
“There are lots of links with racing and football, there’s obviously Michael Owen and other owners, the links are already there.”
Just last week Owen celebrated with a Jordan Henderson shuffle as Mr McCann, owned by James Milner, Adam Lallana, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Henderson and Andy Robertson, scored at Haydock.
With the Euros in full swing Henderson couldn’t attend, but Owen had promised to deliver the Liverpool player’s celebration if the horse won.
The horse is trained by Tom Dascombe who also has a number of Burnley players with horses at his yard.
In France, Antoine Griezmann has a number of high profile horses in training.
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