Wayne Rooney buys racehorse

Wayne Rooney became the latest Premiership footballer to get involved in horse racing when he bought a horse which is set to go into training with Tom Dascombe.

Rooney’s team-mate and fellow England striker, Michael Owen, has financially backed Dascombe’s yard, in Cheshire, where his horse called Brown Panther stayed during the flat season.

A spokesman for Dascombe said to Sport24 yesterday (Monday 19^th Dec): “I can confirm that Wayne and Coleen (Rooney's wife) have bought a horse. I can't confirm all the details as yet as it's very early stages.”

“He's been down here and obviously liked what he saw and he's bought a yearling to go into training with us next year.”

English football has plenty of links with the horse racing world, with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson one of several horse owners who are, or have been, involved in the football world.

But the best known example of a footballer enjoying success in horse racing is Mick Channon.

A good enough forward to score 21 goals in 46 England appearances during the 1970s, Southampton great Channon has since become one of English flat racing's leading trainers with the 63-year-old saddling several Group One winners.

Picture: Tsutomu Takasu