AS ANDREW FLINTOFF launched his benefit year in Newcastle on Wednesday night, part of the anticipated proceeds were already allocated. Flintoff wants to reinforce his burgeoning interest in jump racing and Venetia Williams, the Herefordshire trainer in the form of her life, is to be given a six-figure budget to find him a horse.
Flintoff’s enthusiasm for the turf has been fostered by his friendship with Paul Beck, also now the manager of a benefit schedule that aims to raise £2 million, of which half will go to four of the cricketer’s favourite charities. Flintoff said: “I love my racing but I don’t know enough about the horses so I leave all that to Paul.”
Beck is already a high-profile owner and recently moved the majority of his 25-horse string to Williams from Richard Guest. Speaking after a Sporting Legends Dinner at St James’ Park, where Steve Harmison and Alan Shearer joined Flintoff on stage, Beck explained: “ ‘Fred’ has already had some fun with our horse, Flintoff, but we’re looking for something better and Venetia will have good money, maybe £100,000, to buy a decent prospect.”
Such figures are nothing new to Beck, who has laid out a fortune to fund his passion for racing. In the last jumps season, only three owners — David Johnson, J. P. McManus and Trevor Hemmings — had more runners than the Lancashire businessman but, thus far, results have not matched investment.
“I’ve probably paid out a million pounds and the best race I’ve won was a £9,000 chase at Bangor,” he lamented, before insisting that his relations with Guest are still good, despite the former jockey being left with only five of his horses.
Advertisement
“We had a bad time, I guess, but I am not a disloyal person. Richard has made mistakes and he’s big enough to admit it, but he’s got talent. He’s a maverick, a one-off.
“Paul O’Neill, my conditional jockey, suggested I went to Venetia. She’s got ambition to go to the next level and I want to help her get there — she runs One Day, who was my first winner, at Lingfield on Saturday. I’ve also sent a couple of horses to Suzy Smith, in Sussex, because I met her and liked her attitude.”