Champion soccer international Michael Owen and his Stoke City team-mates have struck gold with their Myboycharlie colt Howz The Family.

Owen, 33, has gone into racing big-time with his business partner Andrew Black who founded Betfair.  They have over 100 horses on the books and the majority are with trainer Tom Dascombe at Manor House Stables in Cheshire.

Howz The Family (2c Myboycharlie – Lady Raj by El Prado) won like a horse going places when he made every metre of the British Stallion Studs Stakes (1200m) at Ripon on Wednesday evening.  “It was a great ride in front by Richard (Kingscote),” Dascombe said.  “He timed it perfectly.”

Vinery shuttler Myboycharlie has now sired 9 first-crop winners in both hemispheres and his latest is tipped to progress to black-type company.  “We had more than 80 winners last year and we’re on an upward curve,” Owen declared.  “I bought Manor House in 2006 and we recruited Tom and Richard in 2009.”

Owen traces his enthusiasm for racing to the time his father placed a treble every Saturday and asked the boy to pick one of the three horses involved.  He retired last month after 89 caps and 40 goals for England while playing with Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke.

“I’m fronting the Howz The Family syndicate with the lads at Stoke,” Owen said.  “We call ourselves the ‘Ham N Eggers’ and it includes Charlie Adam, Peter Crouch and our goalkeeper Tom Sorensen.”

Howz The Family cost 62,000 euros at the 2012 Arqana October yearling sale.  He’s the first foal of Canadian stakes winner Lady Raj (LR Strawberry Morn Hcp).

Myboycharlie (Danetime) shuttles from Haras du Mezeray to Vinery and will stand for a $16,500 (inc gst) fee this year.

– Karl Patterson