The Jukebox Man, trained by Ben Pauling and ridden by Ben Jones, won the King George VI Chase
Redknapp described the victory as a dream moment, hailing the horse’s jumping and performance
Trainer Pauling likened the tense photo finish to scoring a cup-final winner, praising Redknapp’s faith
Former English Premier League manager Harry Redknapp was celebrating on Friday after his horse The Jukebox Man stormed to victory in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park, one of British jump racing’s marquee events.
Sent off at 7-1, The Jukebox Man, trained by Ben Pauling and ridden by Ben Jones, edged out last year’s winner Banbridge by a nose in a dramatic photo finish. The narrow margin capped a pulsating contest that went down to the final strides.
“That’s a dream and to have a horse that good is unbelievable,” Redknapp said after the race. “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. What a race he has run and he jumped unbelievable.”
Photo Finish Drama Caps Emotional Day
The Jukebox Man tracked early pacesetter Il Est Francais for much of the race before making his move and taking the lead approaching the final bend. At the last fence, four horses were still in contention, including Banbridge, Gaelic Warrior and Jango Baie, setting up a thrilling finish.
Trainer Ben Pauling admitted the tension was unbearable as the result went to the cameras.
“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,” he added. “I’ve always had huge faith in this horse and so has Harry as well.”
Redknapp enjoyed a distinguished managerial career in football, coaching Premier League clubs West Ham, Portsmouth, and Tottenham Hotspur. He famously guided Portsmouth to FA Cup glory in 2008 and retired from professional football management in 2017, following his departure from Birmingham City, bringing an end to a 34-year managerial career.
(With AP Inputs)
