BBC SPORT | HORSE RACING | Fergie the toast of Newmarket

Arsenal may have celebrated the first part of a likely double in Cardiff on Saturday, but Sir Alex Ferguson made sure he grabbed plenty of headlines on FA Cup final day.

There was no chance that the Manchester United boss was going to let the season stumble to a finish without getting his hands on some form of silverware, and so it proved.

How Rock of Gibraltar won the Guineas

As Arsene Wenger's team were easing past Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium, the Scot was leading Rock of Gibraltar into the winner's enclosure at Newmarket.

Hawk Wing was closing, but mine has guts to spare

Sir Alex Ferguson

"I never thought I would have a classic winner," said Ferguson. "It is a great day and makes up for not being in the final of the Cup."

After watching his side crash out of the Champions League with a desperately disappointing display against Bayer Leverkusen last week, Ferguson took matters into his own hands.

The grim expression of four days earlier was completely transformed when Johnny Murtagh rode 9-1 shot Rock of Gibraltar past favourite Hawk Wing at Newmarket.

And the man who still insists that Juan Sebastian Veron had a good game against Bayer Leverkusen was not going to be short of praise for Murtagh's performance.

"I didn't know where he was," he said. "I kept looking from the race to the television and back again but I couldn't see him.

Johnny Murtagh on Rock of Gibraltar
Rock of Gibraltar led the way at Newmarket
"Then he suddenly appeared and he quickened so well, Johnny gave him a brilliant ride. Hawk Wing was closing, but mine has guts to spare."

And Ferguson paid tribute to Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien, who claimed a world record 23 Group One wins around the world last year.

"He is the master," said Ferguson. "He is a great trainer with his care and concentration. He is blessed with the great attributes of single-mindedness and determination."

Football's passion for racing

The United manager is not the first football personality to seek success in racing.

Former Southampton team-mates Mick Channon and Kevin Keegan share an interest in the sport, with Channon becoming a successful trainer and Keegan a regular at the track.

And ex-Liverpool colleagues Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman have invested in a number of horses, usually trained by champion trainer Martin Pipe and ridden by Tony McCoy.

Sir Alex Ferguson watched his side go out of the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen
Ferguson was not so happy on Wednesday
But typically Ferguson has stolen everyone's thunder with his success in the 2,000 Guineas, despite protestations that racing merely provides a break from his ultra-competitive job.

"Racing is a fantastic release for me, but the most important thing is that you meet great people with great passion and they love their horses," he said.

"I never hear about football on the racecourse. This is a passion - it's a hobby whereas football is my job."

Even so, Saturday's victory will clearly send him back to Manchester with the competitive fires burning brighter than ever.

So much so that Ferguson found time for one more bout of mind games with old foe Wenger ahead of Wednesday's clash with Arsenal at Old Trafford.

"Who knows what might happen then? There have been some surprising results this season - maybe it isn't the foregone conclusion people think it is."


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