Luke Littler and Stephen Bunting decided to enter a new sport in April when the darting duo bought a racehorse together.
The rivals became partners when they purchased a horse from former England star Michael Owen, for around £54,000, which they named ‘Bunting Mental’, in honour of Liverpool thrower Bunting. The horse, set to run in world champion Littler’s iconic shirt colours of purple and yellow, will be trained by Hugo Palmer at the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United striker’s Manor House Stables.
Bunting Mental is yet to make its debut as a two-year-old, but could have its first run in August, when it may be entered into the 6f Harry’s Half Million By Goffs at York. The horse also holds entries over six-and-a-half furlongs and 6f at Doncaster in September and Redcar in October, respectively.
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Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Sport, ex-goal machine Owen, 46, who is UK ambassador for the online casino comparison site Casino.org, revealed what it’s like to work alongside the two darts stars on their exciting horse.
He said: “It’s great to get them on board. They are really excited to follow the horse and depending on their schedules, [we will] see them more at Manor House Stables. And when the horse is ready, it will be great to see us all watching the horse have fun.
“It’s an exciting horse for sure, plenty of potential indeed. The horse looks to have the right attitude and as a two-year-old we need to choose the right time to see the horse run, so we hope to have a lot of fun with both of them and to see the horse progress into a really good one.”
Bunting, 41, previously spoke about teaming up with Littler, 19, and how they reached a decision over its name and appearance. He said: “I had a choice of either the silks or the name. I was happy with the name!
“Everyone has taken well to the name in the paper and the headline Bunting Mental. It will have Luke’s colours of purple and yellow. That was the plan.”
Speaking about the partnership and the horse’s potential, trainer Palmer said: “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 [thoroughbred racehorse and active breeding stallion] 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.”
Owen and Palmer are no strangers to teaming up with sports stars. Their partnerships include the horse Seagulls Eleven, owned by a group of current and former Brighton players including Danny Welbeck and James Milner, also trained and stabled at the yard.
Previously, former United and England team-mate Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen invested in three horses at the stables – Tomway, Switcharooney, and Pippy.
The Premier League winner at Old Trafford has around 130 horses in training and also manages the Michael Owen Racing Club, giving fans the chance to own shares in horses.