A Salford business magnate who owns horses with legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has high hopes their record-breaking £660,000 buy can strike at Cheltenham on day three.
Eccles-born Ged Mason, the Chief Executive of local manpower services company Morson, is part of a star-studded racing syndicate that shelled out a world-record fee for gelding Regent’s Stroll in 2024.
And he will watch from the stands at Prestbury Park alongside fellow owners Ferguson, Paul Vogt, Paul Hogarth and members of the Hales family as their horse attempts to land victory in the Jack Richards Novice Handicap Chase at 2pm on Thursday.
Regent’s Stroll has a Cheltenham winning pedigree, as his dam is a half-sister to the superstar 2008 Gold Cup winner Denman.
Trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Harry Cobden are eyeing back-to-back wins in the race after the success of the Mason-owned runner Caldwell Potter last year.
And Mason believes that Regent’s Stroll is primed to repeat the feat in rainy conditions at Cheltenham this time around.
“One of our best chances of a winner is probably Regent’s Stroll. If he could follow in the footsteps of Caldwell Potter, we’d be delighted,” he said.
Mason’s father, Gerry, started Morson in 1969 from their family home in Eccles. He explained that “57 years on, we employ nearly 2000 people.”
In February, Morson Group became a sponsor of Salford RLFC in a move Mason says reflects the pride he feels towards his hometown.
“The Salford Community is very special to me and I’m proud to be supporting Salford Rugby.
“It was sad to see what happened (when Salford RLFC were wound up in December after a season marred by financial problems), but hopefully this phoenix club will come back.
“I’ll never forget my roots. Salford is where I was born and there are so many great people from the city.”
Mason will hope to recoup some of Regent’s Stroll’s hefty purchase price when the horse bids for Cheltenham glory at 2pm.
