Nervous Owen’s big race
MICHAEL OWEN admits he is filled with a mixture of nerves and excitement as he prepares to make his race-riding debut at Ascot this afternoon. The former footballer will ride Calder Prince, trained by Tom Dascombe at Owen’s Cheshire stable, in the seven-furlong Prince’s Countryside Fund race. Owen, 37, had not even sat on a horse five
months ago and admits shedding the pounds from 13st 6lb to a racing weight of 12st has been almost as big a challenge as learning to control a thoroughbred. Owen said: ‘It’s been a massive learning curve. From riding out in the morning to
being thrown off and then galloping on a racecourse, it’s been fantastic. It’s given me a greater appreciation of racing.’ Owen said the first time he sat on Calder Prince, he ‘felt like I had gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson the next day’. The gelding is the highest-rated horse in the race, but Owen faces riders who have far more experience.