Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has broken a new transfer record – this time away from football. The legendary manager has splashed the cash in order to strengthen his fleet of racehorses.
During his iconic spell at Old Trafford, Ferguson broke the British transfer record on five occasions. From Roy Keane to Rio Ferdinand, Ferguson was not afraid to spend big to secure United’s next big star, and the 82-year-old has applied the same tactics to horse racing.
In February, he helped shatter the record for the amount paid for a jumper at auction by being part of a collective that paid £630k for Grade 1 winner Caldwell Potter at Tattesalls in Ireland. However, just five months later, Ferguson has successfully managed to raise the bar yet again.
It has emerged that Ferguson was one of five investors who pitched in to pay £660k for Regent’s Stroll on Monday. The horse is unbeaten in two bumper races under trainer Paul Nicholls, who revealed that Ferguson was part of a contingent that stumped up the money to ensure Regent’s Stroll remained at Nicholls’ Ditcheat stables.
The champion trainer faced the prospect of losing some star names from his stable, including Cheltenham festival winner Stay Away Fay, after previous owner Chris Giles announced his intention to take a step back from the sport. Regent’s Stroll was one of the other horses who could have found a new home at auction, but Ferguson’s contributions helped Nicholls keep hold of the promising jumper.
“We got all the ones we wanted back, so we’re delighted,” Nicholls explained. “I’ve had some fantastic support from all my owners to get them back. I put people together to buy them and some of the co-owners bought them back. It’s worked out really well.
“Stay Away Fay is going to be owned by Andy Bell and Fergus Lyons. In Regents Stroll there is a combination of John Hales, Ged Mason, Sir Alex Ferguson and Neil and Alfie Smith who are part of a team we have put together. They bought Caldwell Potter in the spring and they are both nice horses.
“I bought Regent’s Stroll as a store two years ago at Doncaster,” he added. “He won his two bumpers at Ascot and Newbury. We didn’t want to be losing him, did we?
“It would have been disappointing to have lost them but we’ve have worked hard to get the right support from owners across the board and been able to keep them together.”
