There's living the dream - and then there's Charlie Austin

It was a routine midweek morning and Charlie Austin had word of an unraced two-year-old running later that day. His curiosity aroused, he saw that Oisin Murphy was due to ride, so he called Murphy to get the lie of the land.

Murphy offered little encouragement, since he hadn’t ridden the horse at home. And with that, Austin decided to have no bet. Instead he settled down to work at Southampton’s training ground in the city’s leafy suburbs. There was the small matter of his club’s imminent visit to Liverpool to consider.

That Austin let the horse run unbacked says much about him. There’s nothing unusual about a Premiership footballer’s love of a bet, but Austin is different. Yes, he enjoys a flutter, but betting is the side-show. It’s owning racehorses that lights his fire.