Newcastle has a rich sporting history, with the north east city boasting numerous connections to a plethora of major sports.
Football giants Newcastle United immediately leap off the page having established themselves as one of the top clubs in English football.
Rugby, basketball, speedway and greyhound racing are among the other major sports which have a strong foothold in Newcastle. However, they fade into the background when compared to horse racing, which has long been established as Newcastle’s second favourite sport behind football.
Given its popularity, horse racing has inevitably forged strong connections with football in Newcastle, with the two sports closely intertwined.
Read on as we look at some of the most noteworthy examples, starting with a former player whose time at St James’ Park ultimately ended on a sour note.
’Hated’ Owen Rides Wave of Panther Positivity
Michael Owen’s ill-fated spell at Newcastle did not endear him to club’s faithful, while a bitter fall-out with Alan Shearer added to his misery.
Owen eventually put those disappointments firmly behind him by successfully turning his attention to racehorse ownership. After forging a partnership with trainer Tom Dascombe, the former England striker enjoyed several notable horse racing experiences courtesy of top stayer Brown Panther.
The horse won several top-class races including the King George V Stakes (2011), Goodwood Cup (2013), Irish St Leger (2014) and Dubai Gold Cup (2015).
Brown Panther also famously headed to Australia in 2013 to partake in the Melbourne Cup – a trip that Owen admitted made him more nervous than playing professional football.
The horse was priced at 20.00 on Melbourne Cup betting sites and produced a creditable performance in the ‘race that stops the nation’.
Brown Panther raced prominently until the home straight before fading in the closing stages. He also suffered a nasty gash to his leg during the race, which hindered his hopes of finishing placed.
Despite this, the globe-trotting horse ended his career having recorded 11 victories in 28 races in seven different countries.
Shearer Gets His Name in Lights
Having won the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers, the lure of returning to his boyhood club eventually persuaded Shearer to sign for Newcastle in 1996.
His legendary exploits saw him break the club’s all-time goalscoring record and become the highest ever scorer in Premier League history.
Shearer has now been honoured by having a racehorse named after him – albeit by lifelong Blackburn fan Max McNeill. The equine Shearer sprang to prominence in 2022, winning hurdle races at Newbury, Worcester and Cheltenham.
Trainer Paul Nicholls has switched Shearer to steeplechases this year – a move which resulted in the horse winning at Ludlow and Aintree.
The seven-year-old jumped well on each occasion and is the type of improving horse Nicholls traditionally excels with.
While Shearer’s form over bigger obstacles may not amount to much, he still has plenty of time to emulate his namesake and become a top player in equine circles.
Palmer Lands Massive Northumberland Plate Gamble
Trainer Hugo Palmer endeared himself to north east sports fans in 2020 by saddling Caravan Of Hope to win the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle Racecourse.
Backed from odds of 9.00 to 5.50 favourite, he powered past his rivals on the run-in to record a memorable victory for Newcastle fan Palmer. He also saddled Collide to finish third, thus adding to the bumper payday for his stable. He couldn’t hide his delight after the race.
“I didn’t know which one to cheer – I was just shouting ‘go on boys!” Palmer said. “Collide ran a wonderful race, because he was drawn wider, had to settle further back and carry an awful lot of weight.
“I’m a Newcastle United fan, I grew up just north of there, I went to university there – and the Plate is one of those races I’ve dreamt of winning.
“There aren’t many handicaps on the bucket list, but this is one of them. I’m absolutely chuffed to bits. He was very tough, and Harry (Bentley) gave him a wonderful ride – as did Ben (Curtis) on Collide.”
Palmer subsequently replaced Dascombe at Owen’s Manor House Stables in 2022, further strengthening the Newcastle connections between football and horse racing.
The combination have teamed up to great effect since then, most notably with Golden Trick who scooped €148,500 for winning a two-year-old event at Naas in Ireland last month.
