Footballing allegiances put aside as Saint Andrew teams up with Foxes boss

Being a supporter of Southampton FC is a trying enough occupation at the best of times, but there are moments when it can test the nerve of even the steeliest fan, and when Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was casting around for a trainer for his fledgling string of racehorses, Andrew Balding must surely have feared that his well-publicised love of the Saints might be held against him.

Would the Thai billionaire want to place the likes of Beat The Bank in the hands of a Premier League rival, or would his King Power Racing team look closer to home? Luckily footballing prejudices were put aside and the unlikely allies, although denied a shot at the aborted William Hill Ayr Gold Cup with the in-form Donjuan Triumphant, head into the autumn as a potent force – and Balding can breathe a sigh of relief.

"King Power were keen to have an involvement in British racing and Jon Rudkin, the director of football at Leicester, was put in charge of finding a trainer for them," he explains. "I think he knew of my footballing allegiances and it could have proved a stumbling block but luckily they forgave me that! [Bloodstock agent] Alastair Donald found them some horses to have a bit of fun with and it's nice to be involved."