Horse racing is one of the oldest sports in the world that managed to build quite an impressive tradition over the years. Now, horse racing is one of the top sports in the world and is often referred to as “The Sport of Kings”.
With such an appealing name, exciting action on the racetracks, and multiple ways to earn money from breeding, training, investing, or betting, horse racing becomes a very popular sport for other athletes.
In today’s article, we will cover the connection between football and horse racing, and see how some of the most popular NFL athletes interact with this prestigious sport.
Wes Welker
Wes Welker is a former professional wide receiver who continued his career as a wide receiver coach for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. As a player, he managed to create quite a successful career in the big league, playing for teams like the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.
He also got many achievements like making in the First-team All-Pro two times, and Pro Bowl five times.
However, it seems like his passion for horse racing is on the same level as football. He owns the multiple graded stakes winner “Undrafted” who managed to win the Grade 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2015. Additionally, he also has other investments in the horse racing industry as he is also a partner with Tamme in Hat Creek Racing and it is involved in the co-ownership of other horses.
Tom Brady
One of the most iconic names in the National Football League, Tom Brady, is also a big horse racing enthusiast. Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever seen in football and managed to break multiple records during his 20-year career in the NFL.
Well, this is something that most people already know. What they don’t know is that Tom Brady is a huge fan of horse racing. Even though he is not directly involved with the sport, he likes to watch popular horse racing events.
His favorite event is the Kentucky Derby when he brings most of his teammates to watch the race. Who knows, maybe we will see Tom Brady in this year’s Kentucky Derby.
Drew Brees
Here we have another iconic former professional American football quarterback who also managed to play in the big league for 20 seasons. Drew Brees had a rather successful career in the National Football League winning one Super Bowl Championship and MVP, as well as getting Player of the Year multiple times.
However, he is also quite passionate about horse racing. He owned multiple horses in the past, as a partner in the Donkey Island Racing group, and once managed to claim a horse named Siempre Mio away from NBA stars like Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant.
He is also a Del Mar resident and attends many horse racing events every year. He even took his family to meet the famous Triple Crown winner the American Pharoah.
The 2022 Kentucky Derby results will be announced here, so make sure to take a look to see if one of his horses is involved.
Vince Wilfork
Here we have another former American football nose tackle who managed to play in the National Football League for 13 seasons. He also won two Super Bowl titles and won the First-team All-Pro in 2012.
He also got involved in the horse racing industry and managed to own a couple of horses. One of his most successful stories is with a horse named Great Minds who won the Grade 3 Texas Mile at Lone Star Park in 2016.
Steven Jackson
Jackson is a former American football running back that spent 12 seasons playing in the National Football League for teams like St. Louis Rams, Atlanta Falcons, and New England Patriots.
Even though he didn’t get involved with horse racing as much as other athletes we mentioned in this article, he is definitely a huge horse racing fan. He regularly attends horse races and even managed to present the trophy to the winners at the Breeders’ Cup in 2012.
