Former England striker Michael Owen and his daughter Gemma have opened the doors to their luxurious Manor House Stables as she bids to become a professional jockey.
The pair gave a tour of the pristine rural Cheshire facility ahead of the release of a six-part Amazon Prime Video documentary series, Meet the Owens, which follows their family life and streams from August 28.
In the first episode, Owen is asked by a producer about his reputation for being dull, before cutting them off to shout: "Boring p***k!"
Despite that public perception, the 46-year-old, who retired from football in 2013 after scoring 40 goals in 89 England appearances and becoming the last English winner of the Ballon d'Or, remains consumed by his post-playing career.
"This is my pride and joy. My little baby," Owen said, sheltering from a rare, heavy rain shower under an umbrella at the stables he has owned for more than 20 years. "It hasn't rained here for three months.
"I'm a geek. I know every horse, every owner and every race coming up. I could keep talking to you about horses for ages. It's the most stressful thing in the world, but I wake up every morning and I'm excited to come here."
Family business
The yard is run with Hugo Palmer as trainer and employs more than 50 people to look after more than 130 horses.
Owen's 23-year-old daughter Gemma, who finished as a runner-up on season eight of the reality show Love Island in 2022, works daily alongside the riders.
She recently finished fourth in the Magnolia Cup, a charity flat race at Glorious Goodwood earlier this summer, and wants to obtain her amateur jockey licence.
"To be honest, it took me by surprise how much I have loved racing and learning a new skill," she said.
"I thought I would do the Magnolia Cup and it would be an amazing experience, but then that would be it. I've always had horses and gone to the races, but spending more time at Manor House with the staff has allowed me to connect with the sport on a deeper level.
"I'll continue and try and get my amateur jockey licence and then hopefully ride in a few more races. I've just fallen in love with the sport. I don't want to give it up."
Gemma, who has 1.6 million Instagram followers and runs a swimwear business, also continues to train as a dressage rider.
"Juggling racing and dressage has been difficult, but I want to try and continue the two. I've done dressage for as long as I can remember. Racing is completely different. It's definitely brought the family closer. It's nice that we share that passion," she said, adding that "the dream would be to win a race. That's going to be the target."
"I'm just trying to take it step by step. I'm still so new to the sport. You don't appreciate the strength jockeys need," she said.
"I had to go through a lot of fitness tests to compete in the Magnolia Cup. That process was so hard. Jockeys are very, very strong. I've got a new-found respect for them. I would also love to do a Grand Prix on my dressage horse. I've not yet been able to compete at that level.
"My horse is very experienced and he's very talented. However, he is not a straightforward ride."
Former jockey Franny Norton, who won just under 2,000 races in a 36-year career, acts as a riding advisor to Owen and has helped Gemma with her transition to racing.
She cited Hollie Doyle and Saffie Osborne as role models, adding that her background in fashion could help the sport reach a younger audience at a crucial time.
"There are so many women jockeys coming through the ranks," she said. "I look up to them and admire them for what they've done.
"Racing is trying to attract younger people. It has a fashion element to it which does that. With my background in horses, Manor House and my interest in fashion, I'd like to be able to bring other people into racing. That doesn't mean they have to ride.
"I like to show my followers into the racing world."
Footballing owners
The Manor House facility features an equine swimming pool, an electronic horse walker, an ice bath, and stables with windows on both sides to satisfy the horses' inquisitive nature.
During the tour, a seven-year-old horse named Box To Box took a plunge in the pool. One of the oldest horses at the yard, Box To Box is owned by a consortium that includes former midfielders Steve McManaman and Owen Hargreaves.
The stables host horses for an array of sporting figures, including Barcelona's Anthony Gordon, Tottenham's Andy Robertson, Paul Scholes, Sir Alex Ferguson, James Milner, and the Brighton squad, as well as darts players Luke Littler and Stephen Bunting.
"James Milner is the luckiest owner ever," Owen said. "Everything he touches turns into a superstar!"
Managing, buying and selling top flat horses is a business of high costs and high stakes, but Owen said he had "no qualms" about it becoming a family enterprise.
"It's been lovely and I can only see it continuing," he said. "Gemma is not stopping now she's got a taste for riding. She's going to be competing as an amateur and God knows where it's going to take her. But she absolutely loves it."
His son James, who is clinically blind due to a rare eye condition, is involved behind the scenes, while his wife and Gemma's brother also take an active interest.
"I feel like I'm more involved with the family business now. It does feel more special," Gemma said. "My brother takes an interest in the business side of things and my mum has become more involved as well. It's nice that it's brought us all together and I can share my passion for racing with my parents."
For Owen, who has saddled winners at the highest level of flat racing, running the stables is very different from playing football.
"I didn't feel pressure as a footballer. It came naturally," he said. "I wouldn't use the word pressure to describe running this business, but I do have to think about how I want it to run.
"If I get my teeth into something, I'm all in. It's just how I am. It was the same with football and now it's the same with racing. Everything you see here is the fruits of our labour.
"You can't help but have a soft spot for the people you employ, the horses you train, the owners you meet and the friends you make. I lasted in football till I was 33, but I'd like to think this would be something I die doing."
