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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Melissa Jones

Tory peer Michelle Mone eyes win with £80k wedding present horse amid probe

Entrepreneur Michelle Mone has set her sights on conquering the sport of horse racing with her £80,000 purchase.

Dubbed the 'First Lady of lingerie', the businesswoman spent the five-figure sum on Monbeg Genius.

From the Jackdaws Castle stable of Grand National-winning trainer Jonjo O'Neill, the six-year-old made a winning start for Mone in October.

Now the team are heading to Ascot, one of The Queen's favourite places, to try and double up.

Monbeg Genius has seven other horses to beat at the home of Royal Ascot, where the reigning monarch took the 2013 Gold Cup with Estimate.

Mone's horse competes over jumps and tackles a novices' event at 4.05.

First prize is almost £6,000, but for many owners it's just about having a runner at the iconic venue.

Monbeg Genius heads to Ascot (michellemone/Instagram)

Mone bought Monbeg Genius as a second wedding present for her husband Doug Barrowman towards the end of 2020.

After her ceremony with the billionaire on the Isle of Man, which was delayed three times due to lockdown, she revealed the news on Instagram.

"Introducing the newest member of our family, Monbeg Genius. This gorgeous horse was a second wedding gift for my husband, Doug," she wrote.

"We are delighted with him. I want to say the warmest of thank-yous to the legendary @jonjooneillracing, his wife Jacqui and his son AJ for guiding us through this process.

"Jonjo is an amazingly charming man who was patient throughout, whilst his son, as demonstrated in the video, is a very talented jockey too!

Michelle Mone purchased a £80,000 horse as a wedding present for her husband (Getty Images)

"We are so excited about Monbeg Genius being a part of the family, and we are looking forward to him starring in tartan in the weeks to come!"

On the social media platform, the horse was in his stable with Gloucestershire-based trainer Jonjo O'Neill.

Mone, who started underwear firm Ultimo in 1996 that turned her into a millionaire at just 25, patiently waited ten months for the horse's debut.

And fortunately for her and Doug, 56, it all went to plan, as the six-year-old ran out a determined winner at Ffos Las.

The novice hurdler is trained by Jonjo O'Neill (michellemone/Instagram)

Mone's next sporting occasion comes just days after she learned she faces a formal investigation.

The Tory peer's alleged ties to PPE Medpro have come under intense scrutiny after it scooped two contracts worth a combined £203m to supply the NHS with face masks and surgical gowns.

Mone has repeatedly denied any association with the company, which she recommended to the Cabinet Office as a potential supplier in May 2020 at the height of the first coronavirus wave.

The House of Lords Commissioners for Standards will lead the probe.

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