Southwell Racecourse takes centre stage in new Michael Owen documentary
Southwell Racecourse features in a new six-part documentary focusing on Michael Owen as he juggles a hectic family life and horse racing empire.
Meet the Owens docuseries is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and follows former England footballer Michael Owen and his family as they manage their Manor House Stables racing business.
One of the most dramatic incidents in the new series sees Michael’s daughter Gemma Owen suffer a horror horse fall during a pre-race gallop at Southwell Racecourse.
Gemma was riding her father’s horse He’s A Gentleman when she suffered the accident, after the horse appeared to bolt.
During the nail biting footage Gemma is violently thrown into the railings at the end gallop leaving her with cuts, bruises and bleeding from her mouth and ear.
Speaking about the incident, her father Michael, 46, said Gemma was “tough as nails” and got back on a horse the day after.
Gemma went on to compete in the Magnolia Cup at Goodwood in spite of her injuries where she finished fourth.
Reflecting on fourth place fiercely competitive Gemma said she was “beyond gutted” and confirmed she would be doing it again, saying, “because I need to b****y win!” She also conceded that her father Michael had been right when he’d encouraged her to try horse racing.
Southwell Racecourse is also featured throughout the documentary as one of Michael’s main training grounds.
Since hanging up his boots at the end of the 2012/13 season, Michael has established a horseracing empire through Manor House Stables racing business which consists of around 140 horses. Viewers see first hand the time, energy and significant amounts of money that go into maintaining the stables during the candid series.
The six-part docuseries follows former England footballer Michael Owen and his family as they manage Manor House Stables alongside the demands of family life.
Southwell Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue and is one of only six racecourses in the UK to have an all-weather track and one of three courses in the UK with a Tapeta surface.
Meet The Owens is streaming now on Amazon Prime.