Racing’s billionaires train with Cristiano Ronaldo and own ‘world’s best yacht’ as part of their amazing lifestyles
RACING’S billionaire superstars live amazing lives that see them train with Cristiano Ronaldo and splash their considerable cash on the ‘world’s best yacht’.
In the sport itself, more often than not you’ve got to spend big to win big.
That’s obviously more achievable when you have a couple billion sitting in your account and one happy bank manager.
Dressed in the finest designer gear, a few of racing’s wealthiest owners can be seen checking out their equine superstars at the biggest meetings.
But how much do you know about their lives away from the sport – and the fun their money allows them to have?
Here, SunSport takes a look at some of racing’s wealthiest stars and their incredible lifestyles.
Fazza
Net worth: Heir to fortune worth £3-10bn
Let’s start with a racing fanatic who’s mates with Ronaldo and former UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Heir to a fortune estimated at anywhere from £3-10billion and the all-conquering Godolphin stable, Fazza, as he is known to his 12.3million Instagram followers, has a life made for social media.
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He has been pictured on the treadmill with Manchester United hero Ronaldo and posing for a photo with Khabib.
When he’s not doing that he is diving into the world’s deepest pool or jumping out of a helicopter.
Fazza one day looks set to inherit the Godolphin operation, which includes the likes of Epsom Derby hero Adayar.
Sheikh Mohammed
Net worth: £3-10bn
The ruler of Dubai and current head of Godolphin, Sheikh Mohammed is a regular in the winners’ enclosures of the biggest racecourses around the world.
His sprawling UK property empire has to be one of the most impressive in the world too and, coupled with his £300m superyacht, is valued at around half a billion quid in all.
That’s in addition to his ownership of the Burj Al Arab, the world’s most luxurious hotel, and the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, both in Dubai.
The true extent of Sheikh Mohammed’s collection of properties is unknown, but what has been made public is jaw-dropping.
There’s the £75m Longcross House near Cobham in Surrey, and the second Surrey pad, a beautiful £13m mansion called Woodhay.
His 14-bed Scottish holiday home sits in his 63,000-acre estate – a bit smaller than the £45m Suffolk estate he purchased in 2009 for his horses.
We don’t really have the weather for it here, so you can forgive His Highness for jetting off back home to relax on his 531ft superyacht.
The supreme vessel which, until 2009, was the largest in the world, is usually moored at Sheikh Mohammed’s private island in front of his summer palace in Dubai.
It boasts a helipad, enough space over its eight decks for 115 guests and even an onboard disco.
There is a massive dining room for entertaining visitors, a cinema, a submarine and a squash court too.
The Reuben Brothers
Net worth: £21.5bn
Billionaire racing tycoons and savvy businessmen David and Simon Reuben are worth a scarcely comprehensible £21.5bn.
So spending £63m on a yacht named the ‘world’s best’ for its size in 2009 was a – pardon the pun – mere drop in the ocean.
The astonishing vessel, named Siren, measures 241ft, can accommodate 12 guests in six cabins and there is rumoured to be a lift onboard to help people get between any of the four storeys.
One of the most impressive features is the Jacuzzi on the deck – not far from the helicopter landing pad – and near the indoor and outdoor cinemas.
The Reuben brothers made some of their money from their ownership of Arena Racing Company.
The group owns and operates 16 turf and all-weather racecoures in the UK, accounting for almost half of all fixtures and more than 500 meetings a year.
JP McManus
Net worth: £2bn
Famed racehorse owner JP McManus is known for his big bets – and his even bigger properties.
The billionaire former Man Utd shareholder has been one of the dominant figures in winners’ enclosures over the years.
But it is not just on the racecourse that he has been doing his winning.
The 70-year-old Irishman is co-owner of the ultra exclusive Sandy Lane resort in Barbados – which he could fly to in the £47m Gulfstream G650 jet he bought in 2015, according to the Irish Independent.
The five-star Caribbean hotspot is a favourite haunt of Wayne Rooney and where Tiger Woods married ex-wife Elin Nordegren in 2004.
But it’s his mansion in Ireland – regarded as the biggest in the country – that looks the real show-stopper.
McManus, a hugely successful businessman, made a chunk of his fortune with his monster gambles.
He put £100,000 on his 6-1 chance Reveillez at the 2006 Cheltenham Festival and celebrated as the horse romped home.
He then backed it up with a £5,000 each-way – so £10,000 in all – poke on his 50-1 outsider Kadoun, who also won.
Expect him to strike it rich again in six months’ time at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.
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