Legendary racehorse Rock of Gibraltar, who shockingly became central to the Glazers’ controversial takeover of Manchester United in 2005, has died aged 23.
Coolmore Stud has announced in a statement that the 2002 European Horse of the Year passed away with heart failure last night.
Although he was incredibly successful on the racecourse, Rock of Gibraltar found himself in the middle of a dispute which led to the sale of Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson had taken legal action against racing tycoon John Magnier after a dispute over how they would share prize money.
The pair locked horns over the breeding rights of the horse, and you can be sure that J.P. McManus wasn’t too far away from the colourful dialogue that took place between Ferguson and Magnier.
Ferguson owned half of the horse, but Magnier and his friends at Coolmore Stub believed he was only entitled to half of the prize money, which meant nothing from his stud career.
According to The Sun, Ferguson settled out of court for a one-off payment of £2.5m, but many fans feel he put the club at risk over the sake of a racehorse.
It made it possible for Malcolm Glazer to inflict a debt-ridden takeover of the club, which has proved disastrous for the club.
We are 17 years on from the takeover and United fans are still prospecting against the American family at every home game.
Meanwhile, Old Trafford has been left to ruin… only recently did it get a lick of paint!
