Former Spice Girl Geri and husband Christian Horner, boss of Formula 1 team Red Bull, celebrated their first win on a racecourse on Friday.
Lift Me Up, their horse named after Halliwell’s 1991 solo chart-topper, gave Geri another number one when he won a hunter chase at Newbury on his debut under Rules.
The jumper, a distant relative of the great Denman, had won three point-to-points in a row since he was acquired by the Horners and was taking a step up in class in the three mile race.
One of two horses trained for them by Maxine Filby, Lift Me Up had to battle from the last fence for rider James King but ran on to win by a length and collect the first prize of £2,361.
“We both love horses and we are happy hackers,” Geri told RacingTV. “I bought a horse for Christian who was an ex-racehorse and said ‘Why don’t we try and get a point-to-pointer?’
“This was the first time he has run under Rules. It’s amazing. When we saw that rainbow we thought it was a sign.”
Husband Christian said: “It’s an amazing performance. James rode a great race but Maxine and Natasha did a wonderful, wonderful job.
“It’s supposed to be a weekend off for me. It’s great to see him run so well. He’s obviously got a lot of potential which is exciting to see. He’s a lovely horse, so we are very proud to have him. He’s a gentle giant.”
He continued: “It’s my first time ever at Newbury. What a lovely venue, so to get a winner under Rules is wonderful.”
