Billionaire JP McManus secretly buys huge Cheltenham Festival favourite from ‘the shrewdest guy in racing’
BILLIONAIRE racing titan JP McManus has bought his latest huge Cheltenham Festival favourite from ‘one of the shrewdest guys in racing’.
The former Manchester United owner has swooped for Corbetts Cross, who used to belong to Paul Byrne.
Amazingly, this is fourth top class thoroughbred McManus has bought from Byrne, the son of a bookie who landed a huge gamble at the Festival in 2021.
Byrne owned The Shunter, who scooped a £100,000 bonus when winning the Plate after claiming the Morebattle at Kelso on his run before.
Unsurprisingly, McManus bought that horse a couple of weeks later.
Now the most famous owner in racing has his sights set on more riches after secreltly moving for Corbetts Cross, the 7-2 fav for the Albert Bartlett.
Byrne – who has been labelled ‘one of the shrewdest guys in racing’ – had only had the horse for two runs after purchasing him from Eugene O’Sullivan before McManus got the cheque book out.
He won £28,000 by winning both starts – but victory in the Albert Bartlett is worth £75,965.
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McManus has also bought Filey Bay, 5-1 fav for the County Hurdle, and So Scottish, 4-1 fav for The Plate, from Byrne.
Frank Berry, JP’s racing manager, confirmed the latest purchase.
He said: “Corbetts Cross is a grand big horse and his last three performances have been very good.
“He put in a great performance at Naas (most recent win) on goodish ground over two miles so he is something to look forward to.”
“He will stay with Emmet (Mullins, trainer) but it’s all up in the air at the minute where he will go. Ground might be a deciding factor too.”
All the details on Cheltenham Festival 2023 from tickets to cost of a pint
Speaking of Byrne essentially being the equivalent of a feeder club to McManus, Berry said: “We got the Shunter off him, we got Filey Bay off him and he ran a blinder in the Betfair Hurdle, and we have So Scottish to look forward to as well.
“Hopefully this fellow is lucky as well.”
McManus has been busy in the horse transfer market in recent months.
He secretly negotiated a deal for Mares’ Chase co-fav Impervious last December.
The owner, whose gold and green hoops are synonymous with Festival winners, splashed out after she beat Dinoblue, another horse he owns, at Cork.
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