Brooks Koepka and Graeme McDowell are focusing on a Cheltenham Festival winner after venturing into horse racing.
The golf stars, who each defected to LIV in 2022, have been pressured to make use of a few of their Saudi-earned funds when Northern Irishman McDowell misplaced a guess with coach Harry Derham at a Pro-Am occasion.
He vowed to purchase a horse if Derham obtained shut than him in a nearest-the-pin problem. After shedding, the racing fanatic obtained five-time main winner Koepka concerned too.
READ MORE: PGA Tour star wins first match – however silly rule forces him to forfeit £1.2m prize
READ MORE: Tyson Fury’s sparring companion quits after simply 5 rounds forward of Usyk struggle
Learn extra
Sky Sports is bringing you 500 reside soccer video games to look at, as effectively entry to Cricket, Golf, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA and extra throughout eight devoted channels. Sky Sports is the solely option to watch all of the motion this yr.
£22 a month
Sky
Together they bought Givemefive, who continued his unbeaten run since becoming a member of Derham on Monday (January 22) with a dominant victory within the opener at Warwick.
Running below the banner of Smash Racing, the identical title because the LIV group Koepka captains, the four-year-old is now set for the Triumph Hurdle on the Tuesday at Cheltenham.
Derham informed Racing TV: “He’s obviously a smart horse. He knows what he’s doing and has come on loads since winning on his debut at Market Rasen.
Have you got an early fancy for Cheltenham? Let us know in the feedback part.
(Image: Getty Images)
(Image: Getty Images)
“He’s a real professional horse and I know the guys, Graeme, Brooks and Daniel [Gambill], who own him and are really good guys, were watching in Florida so I hope they enjoyed it.”
Koepka definitely did as he watched from afar, taking to social media and reacting: “Dominant showing from Givemefive, congrats team.”
After giving his cousin Megan Nicholls credit score for locating Givemefive, Derham then touched on his future prospects. “We were hoping he might run in the Fred Winter [handicap] at Cheltenham but I can’t really believe these words are coming out of my mouth,” he continued.
“The entries close for the Triumph Hurdle close tomorrow and I am going to enter him. He’s won by miles there carrying a [seven-pound] penalty.
“There are some very good horses within the Triumph and possibly it will likely be higher for him to have another run and go to the Fred Winter. But it is a very good drawback to have, to be eager about these issues. We’re simply delighted.”
Koepka and McDowell may very well be in attendance at Cheltenham with a LIV occasion concluding in Hong Kong on the Sunday earlier than the Festival will get underway in March.