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Five football fanatic horse racing trainers and who they support

Alex ferguson-paul nicholls

Saturday 3pm sees these horse racing training football fanatics facing split loyalties. Planet Sport profiles five top horse racing trainers who may prefer to be on the terraces.

The worlds of football and racing have often crossed over, particularly with those that like a punt.

Planet Sport have profiled five top racing trainers whose love for the turf extends from the racecourse to the chalked white lines of football grounds.

Andrew Balding - Southampton

No-one can call Andrew Balding a glory hunter when it comes to football, with the trainer used to top level racing success that has somewhat passed his beloved Southampton FC by.

Balding is a regular at St Mary's, so much so, that he had a horse of that name in training which honoured the Southampton stadium.
Like the Saints, St Mary's didn't win too many but season-ticket holder Balding showed his football nous by naming another after Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier.
The equine Le Tissier wasn't quite a good a finisher as "Le God" but showed Balding's allegiance to the South coast club.
Any meetings between Balding and fellow trainer and former Saints star Mick Channon will come with plenty of talk about the latest red and white news.
Balding's famous broadcasting sister Clare has kept it in the family by becoming an ambassador for the Saints' charity arm.

Racing engagements at around 3pm on a Saturday go alongside anxious looks at the Southampton score, that's if Balding is not in his seat at St Mary's.

Michael Bell - Manchester City

Michael Bell shares a surname with Manchester City legend Colin Bell and that link cemented a lifelong tie-in with the Citizens.

Colin Bell was nicknamed Nijinksy after the famous racehorse, because of his stamina and athleticism, which is another coincidental link to his family moniker namesake Michael.

It seems like the Bell love-in was reciprocated too, with the late Colin Bell reported to follow Michael's horses.

Bell has handled runners for Kia Joorabchian, super-agent to former City stars such as Carlos Tevez, but Bell supported City long before the mega-bucks of the Sheikh Mansour era.

The football club itself, was quick off the mark, when Bell's Big Orange won the 2017 Ascot Gold Cup, sending him a letter of congratulations signed by none other than Mike Summerbee.
Bell won the Epsom Derby in 2005 with Motivator and City have kept up their side of the bargain, winning several Manchester derbies in recent years.

Olly Murphy - Aston Villa

Up and coming jumps trainer Olly Murphy spent four seasons as assistant to Gordon Elliott in Ireland but that got in the way of watching his first love in Aston Villa.

Now set up on his own in Warwickshire, Murphy gets to Villa Park as often as he can and trains for a couple for Villa players.

Murphy has even set up an ownership group, named the UTV Syndicate, with a new horse running in the claret and blue Villa silks and pitched at supporters of the Birmingham club. UTV stands for Up The Villa, for anyone questioning Murphy's dedication to the cause.

His Twitter account is full of references to the Villa Park outfit and, in a Facebook Q&A, Murphy admitted that watching the Villa is one of the few times he can switch off from the busy world of racing.

Growing up, the trainer admitted his sporting icon was none other than Christian Benteke.

We're not sure if that was an unfortunate joke but Murphy is clearly Villa mad.

Oliver Sherwood - Chelsea

Few sporting achievements would rival winning the Grand National in the Sherwood household but Chelsea clinching the 2014/15 Premier League title was up there.

The veteran trainer took the Grand National with Many Clouds at Aintree in April 2015 and by May, Sherwood's beloved Chelsea had been crowned Premier League Champions, capping a fantastic year.
Jose Mourinho, known as the "special one" lifted the Premier League trophy but lifelong Chelsea fan Sherwood had taken the special jumps race.

In a 2017 Racing Post interview, Sherwood said the Belgian Eden Hazard was his favourite Blues player and the trainer's Twitter has plenty of references to the Stamford Bridge club.

Sherwood was known to have a yearly bet with legendary jockey and Arsenal fan AP McCoy about which London club would finish higher in the top tier.
This is one true-blue trainer.

Paul Nicholls - Manchester United

The Don of Ditcheat may have the West Country as his stomping ground but that hasn't stopped his passion for Manchester United.

Nicholls is close friends with all-time great Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson, with the pair teaming up to saddle several horses together.

King George winner Clan Des Obeaux is part-owned by the 13-time Premier League winning gaffer and trained by Nicholls.
When Nicholls won his 12th Champion Jumps Trainer crown in 2021, Sir Alex paid tribute to the work ethic of his friend and trainer.
"A couple of things always impress me about him. One is that I am always amazed by his hunger. People often say we are alike and I think there is some truth in that. If you're like Paul, you're never really satisfied and no matter what you achieve, you're always looking forward to the next challenge." Ferguson told Mirror Sport.

A Jockey Club interview with Nicholls compared the trainer's long-term approach to winning Grade 1's with Ferguson's squad building at Old Trafford.

Nicholls always comes across as focused on the job but he clearly has a devilish side.

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