Sir Alex Ferguson 'never dreamed' he’d be taking on the world with horse he bred

Managerial icon Sir Alex Ferguson is "quite optimistic" about his horse Spirit Dancer's chances of delivering on the international stage.

Since retiring, former Manchester United and Aberdeen boss Ferguson has become deeply involved in the racing world and has enjoyed several high-profile victories in National Hunt races. Until now, his Flat racing achievements hadn't been as successful. However, Spirit Dancer, a seven year old horse trained by Richard Fahey, is starting to change that.

Spirit Dancer won the Strensall Stakes at York last summer, which led to an invitation to the Bahrain International Trophy, which he won. His most recent race saw him finish a respectable fourth in the Group One Jebel Hatta at Meydan in Dubai. This Saturday, Spirit Dancer will compete in the Howden Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh, a race with a prize of nearly £1million for the winner. Ferguson told The Saudi Cup: "One of the great advantages of having a really good horse is international racing.

"We never dreamed, when I bred Spirit Dancer, that he would end up getting as far as this," We're so excited about it and after Bahrain we are quite optimistic. He had a little problem when he was three years of age, he got over that and he's just got better and better. He's not had a lot of racing. That's what Richard keeps saying, that he can race a lot more than he's been doing. So we're getting the benefit."

"The international element is something we didn't expect. I'd been to Dubai some years back and I was saying to myself I wonder what it's like to have a horse involved in it now we've got one, I'm enjoying it. Competing with the likes of Aidan O'Brien and the Japanese, you know you are up against the best, and we're enjoying it."

Ferguson, who