Alan Shearer left delighted by 50-1 Cheltenham winner but was forced to miss race

Premier League legend Alan Shearer won big at the Cheltenham but was forced to miss his shining moment

Newcastle great Alan Shearer was accustomed to upsetting the odds over the course of his Premier League career. But arguably his greatest day as an underdog came at Cheltenham when one of his own horses, Akilak, came in as a 50-1 winner.

The Magpies icon wasn’t even in attendance to watch his moment of glory unfold in 2005, however. That’s because he was on matchday duties with Newcastle as they faced off against Coventry City in the fourth round of that season’s FA Cup.

It made for a unique outing at St James’ Park, where Shearer had cleverly coordinated to have his friends and fellow co-owners in his private box. They then communicated the outcome of their investment in real time as he came off at the interval.

Shearer, 55, thought his pals were pulling his leg before he got the chance to sneak a glance at the result himself. And the afternoon was made that much more fruitful by the fact Newcastle beat Coventry 3-1, with Shearer opening the scoring.

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“I once had a winner at Cheltenham, not at the Festival, but Trials Day, which was a 50-1 shot,” he previously told Betfair. “Unfortunately, I was actually playing that day at St James’s Park.

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“We had a horse called Akilak, and the other owners, my mates, had gone down to watch the horse and half of my other mates were in my box during the game. Before the game, because I knew the race was going to happen during the first half, I said: ‘When I look up when walking off at half-time, I need you to give me a clue as to whether it’s won or not’.

“I was walking off at half-time, looking at all of my pals in the box, and they were all going absolutely berserk, with their arms up in the air. I thought: ‘These idiots are daft, they’re winding me up’.

“But I got into the dressing room, the manager did his team talk, and then I snuck my phone into the toilet to see if I could check on the result! We won the match as well, so it was one of the better days. We went out to celebrate both wins afterwards – it was a great day!”

In addition to owning Akilak, Shearer also co-owned another horse, Augusta Kate, alongside golfer Lee Westwood and fellow Newcastle legends Ant and Dec. The mare was trained by Willie Mullins and competed at the Cheltenham Festival in both 2017 and 2018.

Speaking on his experience at the Festival, Shearer added: “I’ve been to Cheltenham with Augusta Kate, at the Festival. It was amazing to go into the parade ring, with the other owners and trainers, it was brilliant. It’s a side you don’t usually see as a punter – it was brilliant to experience.”

It’s uncertain if the ex-footballer plans to attend this year’s Festival in person, though he’ll be there in spirit at the very. least That’s because a contender named after the ex-England star, Shearer, will run in the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase on Friday, having finished fifth in the same race last year.