Redknapp's Gold Cup dream sparked by late grandmother

English football icon Harry Redknapp told AFP that his late grandmother, the inspiration for his love of horse racing, "wouldn't believe" he had a horse that is "running in the (Cheltenham) Gold Cup".

Redknapp owns The Jukebox Man, who is vying for favouritism for the race that is regarded as the blue riband of jumps racing and the climax to the Cheltenham Festival on March 13.

"It would be a dream wouldn't it," said Redknapp of winning it.

"I love my racing. Football, obviously, has been my life but yeah, the Gold Cup would be really special."

The Ben Pauling-trained star has already won the prestigious King George VI Chase, last December, which Redknapp said was "beyond my wildest dreams".

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth manager's love of the 'Sport of Kings' was sparked by his "nan" Maggie Brown in the 1950's.

Redknapp, who guided Portsmouth to 2008 FA Cup glory, said nevertheless she would never have imagined it leading to her grandson mixing with the elite of jumps racing.       

"You know she had 10 kids; lived in the East End of London; survived, like them all, through the war," Redknapp said after watching The Jukebox Man gallop at Pauling's stables near Cheltenham on Monday.

"She wouldn't believe that I was hobnobbing with all these people and owning a horse that's running in the Gold Cup."

Redknapp, who was linked with becoming England manager in 2012, said that Brown had run bets for a bookmaker -- Cyril the paperboy -- which was illegal at the time.

"She was great she was," said Redknapp.

"She loved a bet, that was her life having a little bet, taking the bets off the old girls in the street.

"Then Cyril the paperboy, he was 60-odd and he was still called the paperboy, would come round.

"Trilby hat, suit, shirt and tie, shoes polished, had a little whoop whoop 'Star and Evening Standard, Star and Evening Standard', and my nan would drop the bets in."

- 'I lost him' -

Brown, though, did not let Redknapp sit around kicking his heels.

"My nan would come over to dinner and she would get me to pick out three horses," said Redknapp.

"I couldn't read or write but I'm picking three horses out of the paper for her.

"There was no science behind picking horses in those days."

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However, Brown was not always the one who landed a winner for the family.

Redknapp's mum worked in a cake factory and had landed 100/1 chance Foinavon in the sweep for the 1967 Grand National.

He came home clear having avoided a mass pile-up at the 23rd of the 30 fences -- which is now named after him.

The roars of delight probably shook the very foundations of the family home.

Redknapp, who turns 79 on March 2, has been an owner since he was managing Bournemouth in the mid 1980's, and whilst there have been many good days, he has known bad days too.

"I had a lovely horse with Alan King called Bygones In Brid," said Redknapp.

"He comes to the first hurdle, the sun was so bright he'd run straight into it, went down and never got up.

"That was it, I lost him.

"So yeah, it's good days, bad days in this game, isn't it?"

Redknapp sees similarities between being a football manager and a horse trainer.

"Most important? Good staff, getting the best out of them, looking after them, make them feel they're all doing a good job," he said.

"I think that's what he (Pauling) does, they've all been with him a long time and they all seem to enjoy working in the environment."

His biggest regret is never having had a horse trained by former England international Mick Channon, who enjoyed a lot of success on the flat.

That did not stop them enjoying a memorable day at Salisbury racecourse, with legendary hellraiser and Northern Irish footballing legend George Best.

"George was playing at Bournemouth," said Redknapp.

"We ended up having a day out with Bally (1966 World Cup winner Alan Ball) and Channon and we all ended up in a pub round the corner at about nine o'clock at night, after an afternoon meeting.

"Don't ask me how we got home!"

pi/bc