Brighton star GEORGINIO RUTTER on his love of horse racing

How often do you see a starstruck footballer? You would assume the answer is ‘never’ but in Flint Owl Bakery, a coffee shop in The Lanes, Brighton’s thriving heart, Georginio Rutter has his phone out and has morphed into a giddy fan.

‘Look! Look!’ the Brighton forward implores, as he frantically scrolls through photographs. 

Pep Guardiola recently revealed he was too frozen to ask for a picture when he was three metres from Robert De Niro in New York but Rutter had no such problems when standing face-to-face with his inspiration.

Like De Niro, Rutter’s hero is also affectionately known as ‘Bobby’ by those close to him. But that is where the similarities end: the encounter which we discuss featured time spent in a shrine devoted to some remarkable achievements, neck rubbing and, best of all, the opportunity to feed some carrots.

‘Here! This is it!’ says Rutter, bursting with pride. ‘Frankel!’

For those who are unaware, Rutter is not a fan of horseracing but an owner and an aficionado. He apologises for arriving a little late for our meeting but he had a runner in the 1.55 at Thirsk and wouldn’t have been able to concentrate if he hadn’t seen the action.

‘Sixth,’ he says, settling down with a rueful smile. ‘The world of horses is hard because it’s so difficult to win a race. Everyone must understand it. When you do, it’s easier! 

‘I say to myself: “Hey! You don’t win every time!” and when you go into this world, you have to be ready for anything.’

Frankel, certainly, was ready for anything. He was a world champion, perfection in equine form, boasting a perfect record of 14 wins from 14 races over three mesmerising seasons from 2010 to 2012, his career meticulously sculpted by the late, great trainer Sir Henry Cecil. He took his name to immortalise the legendary American trainer, Bobby.

He now resides at Banstead Manor stud in Newmarket, passing his genes down the generations. Rutter was only a 10-year-old boy, growing up in Plescop, in Brittany, when Frankel ran for the final time, at Ascot, in October 2012 but he knows so much about the stallion it could be his specialist subject on Mastermind.

‘I received a message from someone at (owners) Juddmonte, a Brighton fan,’ he explains, his voice quickening with excitement. ‘They said to me: “You can come and see Frankel” – in my head, I was like “Wow!” I had gone to the sales at Tattersalls (last month), so I messaged him: “Can I come over now?”

‘I go there, I take a picture of him. After everyone leaves, they took me into the office to see all his trophies. Oh my God… it was unbelievable. Every race he ran, I know. Unbeaten! It’s just crazy! I was like a little kid when I stood next to him. Nobody – NOBODY – will have a horse like him.’

If Frankel were a footballer, who would he be? ‘Oh! (Lionel) Messi. It has to be, doesn’t it? What was it he won? Eight Ballons d’Or? 

‘But even then, we can’t compare. Messi lost games, didn’t he? Frankel won everything! Of course I had a photo with him.’

So begins one of those increasingly rare conversations in football now, a young man ready to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for a sport that has provided a welcome diversion from the pressures of 90 minutes. The way he talks would strike a chord with many, not least Sir Alex Ferguson, who bought his first horse, Queensland Star, in 1998 to escape the unrelenting glare of management.

‘When I was young, I used to think, “It’s only football, football, football”,’ says Rutter, who arrived in Brighton last year after spells with Leeds, Hoffenheim and Rennes. ‘I knew, though, that it wasn’t good to be so obsessed. I needed something else.

‘There is football… but then there are horses. Ah, how can I say it? They are my life. It helps me. With my football, with my well-being, with my life. 

‘My first horse was called Bopedro and I tried to see him every week when I was playing for Leeds. I’d go to the stables and I was convinced he recognised me. 

‘I have a story: I always used to come with carrots for him. One day, I forgot. You should have seen it! He was kicking his stable door, turning his head! He was angry! From that day, I knew. They are like humans; they understand it all.’

It feels apt that Mystify, a song from the late 1980s by INXS, is playing in the background. Nothing, Rutter notes, has a horse’s beauty and the way his eyes widen when he tries to explain the difference in buzz between playing in the Premier League and owning a runner is captivating.

‘I’ve never been on a racecourse and seen my horse win,’ he explains with a shake of the head. ‘Every time I’ve owned a winner, I’ve been watching on TV. 

‘I couldn’t imagine what the adrenaline would be like on course. I hear people say racing is bad. Really? I tell you what, come with me. I’ll show you!

‘I ask the manager (Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler): “How do you feel when we win a game?” He tells me he can’t describe it. I’m the same with my horse. On the pitch, I have control: I get the ball, I pick my target, I know how I want to shoot, where I want to put it. That is what happens when you score.

‘Of course it is unbelievable when you run to the fans and the adrenaline you get from it. But the horse? So different. There is no control. Zero. Imagine if I am the owner of a Group One winner? It would be the best thing in my life. I mean it! It is just passion.’

Group One racing is the pinnacle, the level where dreams are made: an equivalent to the Champions League, the level to which all aspire. Rutter, who raves about Hurzeler’s methods and enthuses over Brighton’s potential, has dipped his toe into that pool but won’t rest until he’s made a splash.

‘I came from the Championship, for big money, and it was hard,’ says Rutter. ‘But everyone here helped me, they didn’t force anything. I’m very lucky. People ask me why I smile all the time but I say why should I be sad? We have one life and everything can happen. I just want to dream.’

Georgino Rutter is supporting American Express Shop Small, which aims to support small businesses by encouraging the nation to back their local high street. The campaign, set up in 2012, seeks to celebrate small businesses  across the country