WHEN it comes to the horses, Manchester United are first past the post.
New research has found that there are more horse names inspired by the Red Devils than any other club – and they’ve also been the most successful on the track.
OLBG’s ‘What’s In A Mane’ investigation has studied more than 50 competitive racehorses with names linked to football clubs, managers and players.
They have also compiled a league table ranking each club in terms of money earned per race and the number of horses linked to each team.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men might be second in the Premier League – but they have a table-topping 11 horses related to the club by name, making them the most popular and most profitable football club in racing.
Their squad of horses are headed by the Sir Alex Ferguson-owned, top-class former Flat horse Rock Of Gibraltar, who won seven Group 1s during a brilliant career.
The 11 horses with Manchester United-related names boast a win percentage of 26.77% in 198 starts – accumulating earnings of almost £3 million at a rate of £15,000 per race.
That’s enough to see them claim top spot based on prize money, just ahead of Spanish giants Barcelona who have been represented by the American-trained Messi in 21 races, winning four but still making almost £14,000 per race.
The second-most popular by name count is Leeds, who have eight runners named in their honour.
They include Kevin Ryan’s sprinters Bielsa and Captain Cooper, talented speedster Yorkshire Pirlo and David O’Meara’s Pablo Hernandez.
But, much like the Leeds sides before their return to the top flight, they have performed poorly out on the turf – returning just £967.96 per race – with only four clubs offering lower returns.
United’s cross-city rivals Manchester City have the horses with the most competitive starts between them, with seven horses making 309 starts.
But their strike-rate of 43 wins – at 13.92% – and earnings of just £2,270.50 means that Manchester is red in the horse racing world.
Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool are another club with a strong stable, with runners such as Klopp, Captain Gerrard, Spirit Of Shanks, Van Dijk, Mosala and Gerrard’s Slip.
They have made 124 starts between them, notching 22 wins (17.74%) and earnings of £1,983.22 per race, with Captain Gerrard, owned by the late tyre magnate Reg Bond, their top-earner.
Sunderland are the surprise package in the What’s In A Mane standings.
They have struggled on the pitch in recent years, but they have been well-represented on the racecourse through Roker Park and The Mackem Bullet – a high-class daughter of Frankel.
Between those two horses, Sunderland sneak into the top three behind Manchester United and Barcelona thanks to the performances of The Mackem Bullet, who has earned £251,621.63 during her career.
Other horses who have hit the target are Defoe, Van Nistelrooy and Christopher Wood – while Kool Kompany and Captain Dunne, who made 100 starts, have proved rock-solid during their careers.
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