West Ham United stormed past Brentford in an emphatic penalty shoot-out win in the FA Cup fifth-round, but former boss Harry Redknapp is eyeing up a different kind of silverware with the Cheltenham Gold Cup looming.
The annual festival begins today and runs until March 13th.
And West Ham United legend Harry Redknapp most certainly has a dog in the fight. Well, a horse in the race.
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After Alphonse Areola made a donkey out of Dango Ouattara at the London Stadium, Redknapp is hoping to get a tune out of The Jukebox Man in this Friday’s Gold Cup.
West Ham United legend Harry Redknapp eyeing Gold Cup glory
Redknapp, now 79, partnered with highly-rated trainer Ben Pauling seven years ago. A partnership which both men hope will be marked by The Jukebox Man, a £70,000 purchase, becoming Gold Cup champion amid an era of Irish-trained domination.
The eight-year old bay gelding triumphed at the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day. As a result, expectations are high for The Jukebox Man in Cheltenham.
“That’s a dream and to have a horse that good is unbelievable,” Redknapp said that day, via ESPN. “I love the game. To come here on King George day and just run made me so proud, but to have the winner is special.
“What a race he has run and he jumped unbelievably. When they came to him, I thought he was beat and would finish fourth, but he’s come again and the guts the horse has shown is just amazing.”
Redknapp feels The Jukebox Man ‘has as good a chance as any’
“It’s a dream to have a horse to run in the Gold Cup and go there with a chance,” the former Portsmouth, Southampton and Tottenham coach told Racing TV in a much more recent interview.
West Ham eye FA Cup glory as Harry Redknapp goes for Gold! 🥇
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“I’ve had an awful lot of horses, still got an awful lot, but this one has taken us to places that you only dream about as a racehorse owner. He’s my dream, he’s not for sale and he wouldn’t be for sale at any price.
“I’m not saying we’re going to win it but we’ve got a serious horse. It’s an open race and I think we’ve got as good a chance as anything.”
Approaching his 80th birthday, a return to Premier League management has been floated regularly in recent times, though Hammers News were told by a source close to the board that West Ham were not considering a Harry Redknapp reunion at a time when Nuno Espirito Santo was under severe pressure.
Redknapp is particularly pessimistic about Tottenham’s hopes of survival, meanwhile, at a time when two of his beloved old clubs are battling to avoid that final relegation spot.
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