Harry Redknapp Declares Gold Cup Contender The Jukebox Man Priceless
Football legend turned racehorse owner Harry Redknapp has made an emphatic statement about his prized Cheltenham Gold Cup hopeful, The Jukebox Man, declaring the horse absolutely not for sale at any price. Standing in the kitchen of trainer Ben Pauling's stable, Redknapp put down his coffee cup to emphasise his point during a conversation that shifted from football anecdotes to racing dreams.
A Dream Horse That Defies Valuation
"There isn't one," came Redknapp's firm reply when asked what transfer fee the mighty beast might command if approached by a rival owner. "I've had an awful lot of horses over the years, still got an awful lot. But this one has taken us to places you only dream about as a racehorse owner. He's my dream; he's not for sale and he wouldn't be for sale at any price."
While acknowledging the competitive nature of the upcoming Gold Cup, Redknapp expressed genuine optimism about his contender's chances. "I'm not saying we're going to win the Gold Cup but we've got a serious horse, it's an open race and I think we've got as good a chance as anything."
The Team Behind The Jukebox Man's Remarkable Recovery
Redknapp was quick to recognise that The Jukebox Man's current position as a Gold Cup favourite stems directly from the dedicated work being done on the glorious Naunton Downs by trainer Ben Pauling and his team. Pauling, who recently enjoyed a pressure-releasing Festival winner with JP McManus-owned Meetmebythesea, has meticulously nursed The Jukebox Man back from an injury that completely decimated his campaign last year.
Just as influential in the horse's rehabilitation is stable lad Ollie Wardle, who rides The Jukebox Man out every day and spends so much time discussing the horse that locals in the nearby Hollow Bottom pub have reportedly pleaded with him to change the subject. Racing flows through Wardle's blood, and both Redknapp and Pauling confide they would be lost without his daily input into a campaign that reached an incredible peak at Kempton on Boxing Day when The Jukebox Man snatched the prestigious Ladbrokes King George.
"The King George was the best day of my life," Wardle recalls emotionally. "It was the longest 10 months of my life when he was injured. I thought about him every day. I was manifesting his rehabilitation for him to get better. I just wanted him to show everyone what he could do. The win was for everyone."
A People's Horse With a Compelling Backstory
Wardle makes a significant observation about this year's Cheltenham Festival, noting that while the event has been marvellous as always, there hasn't been a genuine people's horse that the nation can truly get behind. Right on cue, The Jukebox Man appears with a backstory so compelling it could have been crafted by a professional scriptwriter.
"This is more than just racing," Wardle emphasises. "Harry is an amazing man. You can see him over there now — look how accessible he is. He's a huge force in the football world but he is a massive supporter of racing and always has been. He deserves this as much as the boss."
The Daily Routine of a Gold Cup Contender
Wardle smiles as he describes what a typical week looks like for The Jukebox Man, having just watched Redknapp observe the horse scamper up the gallop that runs from Pauling's yard and strikingly splits the fairways of Naunton Downs, one of the few 13-hole golf courses in the country.
- Monday: One canter session
- Tuesday: Work morning with three or four canters at a quicker pace
- Wednesday: One canter session
- Thursday and Friday: Most horses go on the round gallop, but The Jukebox Man avoids this due to last year's injury
- Saturday: Quicker work sessions
Wardle inherited riding duties just two years ago when Pauling simply told him in the car one day: "Right, you can ride Jukebox this year." A lad called Osian Radford had previously been riding the horse, and Wardle considers himself fortunate to have taken over.
A Career Dedicated to Racing
However, luck plays little part in Wardle's story. He has done the hard yards in racing, previously working for another Cheltenham Festival trainer, Alan King. The hours are long and conditions often challenging, but being around a horse like The Jukebox Man makes everything worthwhile.
"I tried different jobs," Wardle admits. "A few years ago, I had left the industry to try something different. I worked in an office and I lasted four days. I walked out. I was a recruitment consultant! On day four, I ruined a sales pitch to someone on the phone and I got told off. So I got out of my chair, handed back my headset. I said to them: 'Thank you very much, don't pay me, I'm out of here'. That was it. I wouldn't swap this for anything else."
The Personality of a Champion
Nor would Redknapp, Pauling, or jockey Ben Jones, who describes riding The Jukebox Man as being on "a spaceship" due to the horse's remarkable ability to float over obstacles. Wardle acknowledges his equine companion has a reputation for being moody in his stable, with visitors repeatedly advised to approach his box with care.
But as Redknapp would concur, the truly exceptional ones — whether footballers, actors, or businesspeople — often have distinctive personalities that set them apart from the crowd. This is precisely what the team hopes will distinguish The Jukebox Man on Friday afternoon during the Gold Cup.
"He's quite feisty in his box but once he is out of his stable, he's a gentleman," Wardle explains. "He's so docile, a lovely horse to ride. You just have to ignore him in his stable. I will never forget before he got his injury, we were on the round gallop here. Usually we do three or four laps; it's quite a deep surface and very testing. The first time I went round on him, I turned to the boss and said: 'I've never sat on anything like this in my life'. It was just pure power. He's all control, pure strength."
Wardle continues with evident admiration: "It feels like if you point him at a wall, he would run through it for you. He would try his best to do it. I often wonder what he looks like when he is working but the feel he gives you is just incredible. It's effortless power."
And that extraordinary combination of power, personality, and potential is precisely why Harry Redknapp would never consider selling The Jukebox Man — a dream horse that has captured the hearts of his entire team and now stands poised to potentially conquer Cheltenham's most prestigious race.
