Billionaire bookmaker boss Denise Coates has joined the ranks of racehorse owners for the first time. The founder and chief executive of online brand Bet365, one of Britain's wealthiest women with a net worth of £9.5 billion, is now listed as the owner of the four-year-old Push The Limit.
Coates, the eldest daughter of Stoke City FC chairman Peter Coates, gained experience working in her father's betting shop before establishing Bet365 as one of the world's largest online betting operations. In 2024, with her husband Richard Smith, she registered Coates-Smith Racing lp with Companies House as an 'owner of horses' and has now acquired her first racehorse.
Push The Limit's racing background
Push The Limit won two of his six starts on the Flat when trained by Ralph Beckett, including a valuable handicap at last year's Glorious Goodwood meeting. He was then bought at the October Sales by champion trainer Dan Skelton and Ryan Mahon for £609,000.
The gelding has now been registered to Coates-Smith Racing and, with a Flat rating of 103, could be an exciting prospect over jumps. Skelton, speaking to the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, said: "We feel very lucky to have the family's support. We did lots with the horse last year but we just felt that physically he was still to turn a corner and switch on to full jumps mode."
Skelton's patience with young horse
Skelton explained the decision to give Push The Limit time to develop: "He did jump very, very nicely but we felt like a bit of time, given he was such a young horse, would be no negative whatsoever."
"He is only a four-year-old and I think it's the best thing we've done is give him that time. He is moving particularly well, looks great, he's quite a flashy character - he's chestnut with white socks - and we did like everything we saw."
"By the time you get mid-way through the season there was only half of it to go and you're better off having a full run at novice season. Everybody was quite happy to give him a bit of time. Physically I can only say that has definitely been the right thing to do."
Potential debut in October
Skelton said Push The Limit could make his debut in October. "I don't think he's a horse that wants really soft ground. I'd like to get him out, once we do get some rain in the country, and I'd imagine he'd be ready to run mid or end of October and take a view from there."
"On the track he looked very good and from what we've seen at home we like him as well – pretty exciting stuff."
