Former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp was celebrating a special present on Boxing Day after his horse The Jukebox Man raced to victory in one of England's most-famous jumps races, the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.
The race — a Group One run over three miles (4,800 metres) and 18 fences — produced one of the all-time great finishes, with four horses battling it out virtually neck-and-neck down the straight over the last two fences before a three-way photo finish.
The Jukebox Man, trained by Ben Pauling and ridden by Ben Jones, was called a nose in front of second-place finisher Banbridge, with Gaelic Warrior third.
"That's a dream, and to have a horse that good is unbelievable. I love the game, to come here on King George Day and just run made me so proud, but to have the winner is special," said Redknapp, a former FA Cup-winning manager.
"What a race he has run and he jumped unbelievable."
The Jukebox Man was behind pacesetter Il Est Francais for much of the race and took the lead before the final bend.
Four horses had the chance to win at the final fence, including last year's winner Banbridge, Gaelic Warrior and Jango Baie.
The Kempton Park crowd roared them home, and connections of The Jukebox Man were elated after he made a late lunge for the line to get his nose in front.
"It really is the moment where you score the winning goal in the cup final with a minute to go," Pauling said.
"It's as tight as it gets, and I had no idea how we got on. The cameras thought he won, but I didn't want to believe it until I heard that tannoy.
"It's something very special and Harry has been an exceptional owner for me and we've always had a huge amount of luck. I've always had huge faith in this horse and so has Harry as well."
Redknapp, a big personality well known for his quips and one-liners, managed Premier League clubs including West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham during a long career. He won the FA Cup as manager of Portsmouth in 2008.
AP/ABC
