Harry Redknapp should not have a care on the planet, given the place we’re, however he needs to present a warning earlier than we enterprise any additional.
‘I am telling you – watch out,’ he advises. ‘I would not go together with him, I am an excessive amount of of a coward! In the event you go away your hand on that steady door, he’ll have your fingers off.’
It is the form of line that, ordinarily, would illicit gales of laughter however Redknapp is severe. He lately likened the horse with whom we try to get an image to these hardest of footballers, Neil Ruddock and Stuart Pearce, and, rapidly, you possibly can see why.
The Jukebox Man is Redknapp’s pleasure and pleasure, the undisputed star of the 28 horses he owns. On Boxing Day, the gelding will line-up within the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase and his prospects of successful this historic three-mile contest, a staple of a sporting Christmas, are excellent.
He gallops relentlessly and jumps zestfully however, like lots of the nice gamers Redknapp managed, The Jukebox Man is an Alpha character. As we method his steady, he sees us and lowers his head; he pins his ears again and glares. If he may discuss, his subsequent phrases would absolutely be: ‘You need some?’
‘He is obtained his personal guidelines on life,’ Ben Pauling, Redknapp’s coach, cautions. ‘However he’s a power-packed bundle of expertise and aggression.’
Harry Redknapp has opened up on his love of horse racing and the stress of being an proprietor
The Jukebox Man is Redknapp’s pleasure and pleasure and the standout star of the 28 horses he owns
Such an evocative portrayal has Redknapp, who’s at Pauling’s state-of the-art yard within the Cotswolds along with his spouse, Sandra, smiling. He is owned horses since 1989, courting again to his time in control of Bournemouth when he was one in every of seven males on the membership who forked out £1000 to make a syndicate.
‘We purchased one known as Slick Cherry and despatched him to David Elsworth,’ Redknapp recollects. ‘He was implausible, gained a pair on the flat and one over hurdles. And Elsie… what a coach! We might go down on a Sunday to his stables in Whitsbury (Hampshire) and have actual good enjoyable.
‘Desert Orchid (a four-time winner of the King George) was there; his nice flat horse In The Groove, too. What a boy Elsie was. In order that’s how I obtained into it. I am not a drinker or something like that. That is my ardour. A little bit of golf, a little bit of racing. That is me, actually. And I understand how troublesome it’s to get a very good one.
‘We have been at dwelling final week, with the racing on. This man says: ‘That Harry Redknapp, he retains shopping for good horses!’ Sandra almost fell of the sofa, could not cease laughing! We have a listing (of reasonable ones) so long as your arm! However I suppose in the event you throw sufficient darts and one may stick!’
For context, The Jukebox Man price £70,000 when he was offered by Goffs, the main public sale home, in November 2022. Shopping for these animals comes at a premium and the following dialogue about constructing a string leads Sandra to divert her gaze from her telephone to ship the road of the morning.
‘I feel ‘generally‘, he would not inform me what he is carried out,’ the accompanying eyebrow elevate bringing the home down. ‘I will say to him: “Right here – when did you purchase that then?” And he’ll be like: “Oh, er, I’ve had it ages!”‘
Redknapp chuckles. He stood some probability of attempting to outwit Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger however, as any husband will testify, nothing escapes your higher half’s consideration; so whereas Sandra won’t be a daily racegoer, she completely is aware of when the blue-and-white silks are in motion.
She additionally is aware of what horses means to him and he’s now absolutely warmed up, taking us again to these childhood in Poplar, that really feel like they have been solely yesterday, when racing offered an exquisite – and much-needed – distraction.
Redknapp has owned horses since 1989 – courting again to his time in control of Bournemouth
Redknapp was topped King of the Jungle by spouse Sandra when he appeared on I am a Superstar
‘My nan would take bets off all of the outdated gals on our avenue,’ he says, chuckling once more. ‘She used to get slung behind a police van each different day!’ She would not consider I used to be right here, with a fancied runner within the King George. It is a far cry from the East Finish of London!
‘Individuals neglect there have been no betting retailers. The one means you would have a wager was by an unlawful bookie – the one by us was Cyril the Paper Boy. Christ, I am calling him ‘the paper boy’ – he was about 70 even then! Nan would acquire the bets, Cyril would pay ’em out.
‘The usual wager was three tuppeny doubles and a tuppeny treble! That was it. I can nonetheless see them now. It is fairly wonderful actually. It was after the warfare. It was vital to individuals however going racing wasn’t one thing we ever did. It was one other world away from us.’
True however Redknapp, enthusiastic as ever at 78, launched into a exceptional journey to succeed in the opposite world. He managed groups that performed with flamboyance, whereas his easy-going nature made him relatable to most of the people, who voted him King of the Jungle on I am A Superstar in 2018.
When The Jukebox Man gained his warm-up race at Haydock final month, it took Redknapp quarter-hour to get from the parade ring again to the homeowners lounge 50 yards away. He’d pushed 4 hours from Poole, was going to do the identical journey again however he stayed, chatted and scribbled autographs.
‘You realize, I may have a day by myself on the races,’ he says. ‘I will go to Fontwell or Wincanton, a kind of little tracks. I will have a pie and a cup of tea and simply have a chat. It is humbling. I like giving my time to individuals, I do not stroll previous anybody. Haydock was implausible – I hope Kempton would be the identical.’
So preoccupied is he concerning the King George, Redknapp candidly admits he will not be a lot firm on Christmas Day across the dinner desk at his eldest son Mark’s home and it’s on this second, unintentionally, he manages to seize the magic of all of it.
Racing, like many sports activities, has issues however, basically, it’s going to by no means lose its means to make dreamers of us and that’s the reason, as Redknapp recollects an agonising defeat The Jukebox Field man suffered at The Cheltenham Pageant in 2024, you possibly can inform how a lot all of it means.
Redknapp managed Spurs from 2008-2012 and was additionally profitable in control of Portsmouth
‘In fact I am nervous!’ he exclaims. ‘I maintain my breath at each fence he jumps. Each day you simply hope he’s protected and sound.
‘When Ben purchased him, we hoped he could be okay. You understand how troublesome it’s to get a good one however right here we’re. I hope he can run like Gareth Bale!
‘You reside in hope. I do lay in mattress and take into consideration him leaping the final and going clear. He did at Cheltenham, did not he? He was 5 lengths in entrance after which the horse he had obtained previous battled again to beat him.
‘It was like being two-up after 90 minutes and the fourth official places up three minutes. Then bang, bang, bang it is 3-2. Oh my God! I am not going there pondering: ‘we’re going to win’ – how may I? You’ve got obtained one from Nicky Henderson’s yard, Willie Mullins is sending two. However we have an opportunity. And we’ll give it our greatest.’
