Football management legend Harry Redknapp has issued a tongue-in-cheek warning about the equine star at the centre of his sporting world, comparing its fierce competitive spirit to some of the game's hardest professionals.
An Alpha Character with a Champion's Pedigree
Redknapp, 78, is the proud owner of The Jukebox Man, the standout talent among the 28 horses in his string. The gelding is poised for a monumental run in the historic Ladbrokes King George VI Chase over three miles at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, a cornerstone of the British sporting Christmas.
"I'm telling you – be careful," Redknapp advised with a serious tone, despite the potential for humour. "I wouldn't go with him, I'm too much of a coward! If you leave your hand on that stable door, he'll have your fingers off." He recently likened the horse's demeanour to former football hardmen Neil 'Razor' Ruddock and Stuart Pearce.
Trainer Ben Pauling, who operates from a state-of-the-art yard in the Cotswolds, describes the charge as a "power-packed package of talent and aggression." The horse, bought for £70,000 at a Goffs auction in November 2022, gallops relentlessly and jumps with zest, embodying the alpha character Redknapp so admires.
A Lifelong Passion Born in the East End
Redknapp's love affair with racing began in 1989 during his tenure as Bournemouth manager. He was part of a seven-man syndicate that pooled £1,000 to buy Slick Cherry, trained by the legendary David Elsworth.
"We'd go down on a Sunday to his stables in Whitsbury and have real good fun," Redknapp recalls fondly. "Desert Orchid was there; his great flat horse In The Groove, too. So that's how I got into it. I'm not a drinker or anything like that. This is my passion."
His early memories, however, are rooted in a very different world. Growing up in Poplar, East London, his nan ran an illegal betting ring. "My nan would take bets off all the old gals on our street," he says, chuckling. "She used to get slung in the back of a police van every other day! The only way you could have a bet was through an illegal bookie – the one by us was Cyril the Paper Boy."
Christmas Nerves and Footballing Dreams
The anticipation for the King George is all-consuming. Redknapp candidly admits he won't be much company at his eldest son Mark's Christmas dinner table, his mind firmly fixed on the race ahead.
"Of course I'm nervous!" he exclaims. "I hold my breath at every fence he jumps. Every day you just hope he is safe and sound... I hope he can run like Gareth Bale!"
He still feels the sting of a narrow defeat at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, where The Jukebox Man was passed close to the line. "It was like being two-up after 90 minutes and the fourth official puts up three minutes. Then bang, bang, bang it's 3-2. Oh my God!"
Despite the nerves, Redknapp cherishes the racing community. After The Jukebox Man's win at Haydock last month, he spent 15 minutes chatting and signing autographs on a 50-yard walk. "I like giving my time to people, I don't walk past anyone," he says. "It's humbling."
With typical humour, he and his wife Sandra acknowledge the hit-and-miss nature of ownership. "We've a list of moderate ones as long as your arm!" he laughs. Sandra, with a raised eyebrow, notes: "I think 'sometimes', he doesn't tell me what he's done... I'll say to him: 'When did you buy that then?' And he'll be like: 'Oh, er, I've had it ages!'"
As Boxing Day approaches, Redknapp, the King of the Jungle from his 2018 I'm A Celebrity triumph, is living the dream far removed from those East End streets, hoping his equine star can deliver a performance worthy of the champions he once managed.
