SUNBURY ON THAMES, England (AP) — Former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp was celebrating Friday after his horse The Jukebox Man raced to victory at the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.
Priced at 7-1, The Jukebox Man, trained by Ben Pauling and ridden by Ben Jones, was called a nose in front of second-place finisher Banbridge after a photo finish.
“That’s a dream and to have a horse that good is unbelievable. I love the game, to come here on King George day and just run made me so proud, but to have the winner is special,” said Redknapp, a former FA Cup-winning manager. “What a race he has run and he jumped unbelievable.”
The Jukebox Man was behind pacesetter Il Est Francais for much of the race and took the lead before the final bend.
Four horses had the chance win at the final fence, including last year’s winner Banbridge, Gaelic Warrior and Jango Baie.
“It really is the moment where you score the winning goal in the cup final with a minute to go,” Pauling said. “It’s as tight as it gets and I had no idea how we got on. The cameras thought he won, but I didn’t want to believe it until I heard that tannoy. It’s something very special and Harry has been an exceptional owner for me and we’ve always had a huge amount of luck. I’ve always had huge faith in this horse and so has Harry as well.”
Redknapp managed Premier League clubs including West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham during a long career. He won the FA Cup as manager of Portsmouth in 2008.
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The Associated Press
