Luke Littler buys race horse with darts rival after Cheltenham Festival exploits – with former England footballer’s steady to coach the mount
Luke Littler and darts rival and friend Stephen Bunting have purchased a race horse at former England footballer Michael Owen‘s stable.
The horse is named ‘Bunting Mental,’ a catchphrase coined by Bunting during his darts competitions.
Hugo Palmer will be tasked with training the horse at Owen’s Manor House Stables, with the experienced trainer when it comes to sport stars.
Palmer has led horse Seagulls Eleven to success in the past – which is owned by a group of Brighton footballers including James Milner and Danny Welbeck.
Littler and Bunting have formed a strong friendship since Littler turned professional and faced each other in the semi-finals of the 2025 World Championship.
Bunting has received criticism for his actions towards Littler on stage, with some suggesting he had been acting too friendly on stage.
Luke Littler has purchased a race horse following his Cheltenham Festival exploits
Littler has teamed up with Stephen Bunting (left) to buy ‘Bunting Mental,’ which will be trained at Michael Owen’s stable
The Bullet, however, rubbished that criticism after the Dutch Darts Masters last year.
‘It does annoy me a bit that people pick up upon that sort of thing,’ he said. ‘That shows how well I’m playing, that they have got to pick up on a fist bump rather than a bad performance.
‘Luke is a lad who has the world at his feet and he is still learning the game. I’m very respectful for what he is doing for our game. I hope he continues for a lot of years because he is bringing in a lot more money to our sport.
‘I am pretty respectful and thankful that he is doing that. On another side, I know him personally, I have grown up in the same area as him, known him for a lot of years since he was a little kid.’
Littler, who pocketed £1million for winning the World Darts Championship for a second year in a row in January, was present at three of four days of the Cheltenham Festival earlier this year.
Palmer, meanwhile, said of the partnership: ‘It’s great having people from all different sides of the sporting arena as owners with us and it will certainly add some interest when the horses run.
‘It’s not going to make them run any faster, but it’s all good fun. He’s named Bunting Mental keeping on the darts theme.
‘He’s by Ardad, but quite big and is a nice horse. We’ve liked everything we have done with him so far, but I don’t think we’ll see him until summer.
‘I’ve only spoken to them via WhatsApp, but they seem very enthusiastic and up for it. They are very excited about the whole journey.’
