Mick Channon still holds the goal-scoring record for Southampton FC (Pininterest)
There has been big race success this year for both Alec Ferguson and Harry Redknapp and Michael Owen joined the party today (Friday) when his horse Zoffee won the Chester Cup.
That brings to mind football’s probable most successful racing man, the recently retired legend Mick Channon.
Mick Channon was a famous footballer, particularly for Southampton and England, and he later became a top racehorse trainer.
Unbeknown to many he also had two loan spells in South Africa in his football playing days, presumably during the English Summer.
He played for Durban Celtic 50 years ago in 1974.
He also had a loan spell with Cape Town City in 1978.
Those spells might be part of the reason he is good friends these days with former Durban City player and now Summerveld-based racehorse trainer Paul Lafferty.
The Channon racing tale is a fascinating one, although he handed over the reins to his son Jack last year and the latter has had over 60 wins already at a fine strike rate of 15%.
The Channon story was told by The Sun in 2021 (read below):
MICKY NOUS How ex-England striker Mick Channon has made millions as a horse trainer after brother told him to ‘get off his a***’
Sam Morgan
Published: 12:45, 6 Jul 2021Updated: 13:10, 6 Jul 2021
MICK CHANNON was hooked when he won £100 from a £6 bet and the bookies didn’t have enough cash to pay him out.
That moment sparked a lifelong love affair for the former England striker.
Mick Channon scored 21 goals for England and has made millions as a racehorse trainer in his second career
Channon, 72, always had a love of horses but his passion turned into a money-making machine when he took up training seriously
Mick is used to dealing with sums in the millions rather than hundreds these days.
The 72-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable second career as a horse trainer since hanging up his boots.
Southampton’s record goalscorer, who netted 21 times in 46 England appearances, was famed for his windmill celebration.
Fans saw it enough times during his 22-year career, which included spells at Manchester City, Newcastle and Norwich.
He scored 236 times in all and was part of the Saints side that delivered one of the biggest FA Cup upsets ever when they stunned Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley in 1976.
Channon remains Southampton’s record goalscorer – a record that has stood since 1982.
But always lingering in the background was a passion for horses.
It never escaped. Mick would ask commentators for the results at half-time.
He bought his first horse for £440 in 1973 and watched her win three races.
That horse, Cathy Jane, lit a flame and her son, Man On The Run, was co-owned by Mick and Kevin Keegan.
Although Keegan didn’t have the golden touch like Mick did, the pair enjoyed days out at the track together.
Mick recalled: “I got him along to the races. Our horse came stone last, so we got drunk on champagne.”
But soon things turned more serious and when Mick retired from football in 1987 he turned his full attention to racing.
That came after some stern words from brother Phil and friends, who, according to Mick, told him to ‘get off his a**e and stop feeling sorry for himself’.
The tough love worked.
Soon he was scoring far more frequently on the track than he ever was on the pitch.
By the early 2000s he was one of the top trainers in England.
At one point he had enjoyed more winners than the late Sir Henry Cecil and John Gosden – whose horse Mishriff won the world’s richest race earlier this year (2021).
By the time he was established at West Ilsley stables near Newbury – once owned by The Queen – he had nearly 200 horses under his watch.
In 2002 he saddled 123 winners. The prize money was racking up and up and up.
Then came Youmzain.
Bought for £33k, he went on to win almost £4m, finishing runner up three times in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe from 2007 to 2009 and twice second best in the the King George Stakes at Ascot.
The horse cemented straight-talking Channon’s position as one of the best trainers in the business.
And he provided joy during an awful time in 2008 when Mick was involved in a car crash that tragically took the life of his friend Tim Corby.
The footballer-turned-trainer achieved a lifelong goal when he won a Classic race with Samitar in the Irish 1000 Guineas in 2012.
But that was not to be the end of it all.
Mick remains as busy as ever now, with more than £2.6m won from his horses in the past five seasons.
Certain Lad has been one of the standouts recently, with Hollie Doyle riding him to York success and a £28,355 prize last August.
So even if Channon stopped the windmill celebration long ago, that doesn’t mean punters can’t when winning from his horses.
