Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has enjoyed plenty of success in F1 over the last two years and he has now replicated that success in a different form of racing.
Along with wife and former Spice Girl Geri, their racehorse called Lift Me Up emerged victorious in what was the couple’s first win today. Named after Halliwell’s 1991 solo chart-topper, the horse won a hunter chase at Newbury on his debut under Rules.
Their charge had to stave off competition from the last fence but did so emphatically as Lift Me Up went on to win by a length, to the delight of the Horners - winning £2,361 in prize money. “It’s an amazing performance. James rode a great race but Maxine and Natasha did a wonderful, wonderful job,” the elated racing supremo told Racing TV.
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“It’s supposed to be a weekend off for me. It’s great to see him run so well. He’s obviously got a lot of potential which is exciting to see. He’s a lovely horse, so we are very proud to have him. He’s a gentle giant.” He continued: “It’s my first time ever at Newbury. What a lovely venue, so to get a winner under Rules is wonderful."
Geri added: “We both love horses and we are happy hackers. I bought a horse for Christian who was an ex-racehorse and said ‘Why don’t we try and get a point-to-pointer?’ This was the first time he has run under Rules. It’s amazing. When we saw that rainbow we thought it was a sign.”
Maxine Filby, Life Me Up’s trainer, was appointed to her role at the Horners’ stables near Banbury, Oxfordshire last year. “There is nervous excitement,” Filby said about the horse previously.
“This is quite a jump in class but this will be an experience over bigger fences because he has qualified for the Intermediate Final at Cheltenham at the track’s hunter chase evening. We will see how he gets on.”
The Horners, both equestrian lovers, enjoyed their first success as owners when Lift Me Up won at Mollington in May 2022 under Hannah Henn. “He is named after my song, which went to No 1, and now he has gone to No 1,” said Geri at the time.
Commenting on why they love horses, Horner told The Telegraph earlier this month: "Honestly, it's just a bit of fun. We don't really know what we're doing but it's exciting. It's something Geri and I both get a kick out of, and something we enjoy as a family."
Horner's passion for the horses began when he rode ponies at home as a youngster in Warwickshire.
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