Michael Owen knows all about being on the receiving end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s “hairdryer treatment” at Manchester United and it seems he is not one to shy away from dispensing criticism himself – even when it concerns his own family.
After daughter Gemma finished fourth in the Magnolia Cup charity race at Goodwood on Thursday – her debut as a jockey – Owen, the former Manchester United, Liverpool and England striker, was quick to point out how her start on Turbo Trotter had not quite gone to plan.
“It was quite strange, nerve-racking obviously, worrying about her safety, albeit she’s a very capable rider,” Owen, who owns Manor House Stables in Cheshire where his daughter trained with Hugo Palmer, said. “However, going 40mph on the back of a horse is never the safest thing to do.
“She missed the start by quite a long way, which was frustrating as we all know how important the start is and she was told a hundred times, but she rode well so it’s all good.
“I have a suspicion this won’t be her last ride in public as she has thoroughly loved the process, and they have lady amateur races so Hugo [Palmer] was already talking to her a week or two ago about perhaps riding in those. I’d say she’s as competitive as me, so she won’t be happy she’s been beaten. She was left miles at the start, but I hope she still enjoyed the experience.”
Gemma, runner-up in the 2022 series of Love Island, a social media influencer and a successful dressage rider in her own right, also showed the same competitive spirit as her father when insisting she was determined to win a horse race.
“It was amazing from start to finish,” she said. “He was an angel getting to the start but a flag start is a bit difficult. It’s go round, go round, then go. My start wasn’t great, I got a bit boxed in. I got the rail, he travelled well and finished strong. If I’d got a better start I’d have got a better result. I want to win one now.
“Dressage is controlled, slow and precise, this is the opposite, this all happens so quick. I’ve loved the training, seeing what goes on behind the scenes. I have a new-found respect for jockeys and appreciate the sport a lot more having done it.”
Though race riding is the polar opposite of dressage riding – the only common denominator is the horse – Owen looked the part and held her mount together, but she slightly missed the break and was closest at the finish in a race won by Imaan Rasul-Healer, a work rider for Kevin Philippart de Foy.
Palmer, the trainer, said Owen was good enough to be an apprentice jockey on the Flat if she wanted, added: “She gave 10 lengths away and was beaten four. As Lester [Piggott] said, you can give weight away but you can’t give ground away. I think she’ll have a few rides as an amateur now. She’s not that keen on the word ‘amateur’ but you can’t be a part-time professional in this sport.”
Owen has been riding since the age of three and she has competed internationally for GB, albeit at young rider level. Anna Ross, a fellow dressage rider and trainer, wrote in 2022 that Owen had “done more to raise awareness and bring the job title ‘international dressage rider’ to the UK public in one episode of Love Island than the entire annual marketing budget of British Dressage”.
Operating in the world of the armchair critics and keyboard warriors, she has not been without her critics. However, in a sport where success is more nuanced than the straight win, lose or draw that her father is used to, Horse and Hound pointed out that “no amount of money will elevate you up the dressage ladder if you lack talent and the work ethic required”.