Ex-England star Michael Owen backs horse racing welfare campaign: 'The animals are athletes'
Former England footballer Michael Owen has become the latest high profile name to back racing’s Horse Comes First campaign.
The sport has come in for huge criticism over equine welfare after three horses died at the Cheltenham Festival earlier this month, and will be under scrutiny from the wider public again when the Grand National meeting at Aintree kicks off next week.
Owen has a well-known passion for horses, having built a first-class racing operation out of his Manor House Stables in Chesire, and even tried his hand as jockey, riding in a charity race at Ascot in 2011.
As an owner, he is best known for breeding Black Panther, who gave him his first Royal Ascot win in 2011, and went on to land a host of top races, including the Goodwood Cup and Irish St Leger.
In a video launched as part of the campaign, Owen shows off his stables and compares his equine stars to elite footballers, emphasising the care that goes into their training.
In pictures | Aintree Grand National through the years
“The resemblance between race horses and footballers is uncanny,” Owen said. “The treatment and care they receive is a similar standard to what I was used to throughout my playing career.
“Our trainers dedicate their lives to the horses and understand that each one is different and needs a certain level of special care. They know more than anyone that the animals are athletes, and they are treated as so.”
Video courtesy of British Horseracing Authority
