Zara Tindall 'annoyed' by husband Mike's £12,000 purchase after 'a few beers'
Zara Tindall was left "so annoyed" when her husband Mike spontaneously splashed out £12,000 on a horse after "a few beers". The incident occurred during a sales night at Cheltenham Racecourse, according to Princess Anne's daughter.
The 44-year-old explained that horses would be presented and attendees could decide if they wished to purchase them. It wasn't until the final lot of the evening that former England rugby captain Mike decided to make a bid.
Speaking to Closer, Zara said: "He'd had a few beers. It was the last lot of the night, Mikey put his hand up and that was it. He was left buying this horse for £12,000.
"Annoyingly, it did not backfire. He got three mates involved and the horse ended up winning the Welsh Grand National and came third in the Grand National. I was so annoyed."
The horse, named Monbeg Dude, was co-owned by Mike along with ex-England rugby star James Simpson-Daniel and retired Wales fly-half Nicky Robinson. It was trained by Michael Scudamore, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Monbeg Dude gained recognition as one of the leading steeplechasers of its era. However, in 2016, the then 10-year-old was forced into retirement due to an injury sustained during the Grand National race.
Following his retirement, Monbeg Dude moved in with Mike and Zara, an Olympic silver medalist, at Gatcombe Park. This expansive Gloucestershire estate is home to both the Tindall family and the Princess Royal and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence.
Scudamore expressed "mixed feelings" over the enforced retirement of the racehorse, feeling it was both "sad" but also "nice to see him go out in one piece".
Talking to BBC Sport, he commented: "It's great to see him going to a happy retirement but he will certainly leave a big hole in the yard. We've had some great days with him and the thing about him was that he wasn't bred to be a superstar."
Reflecting on Monbeg Dude's journey, Scudamore mentioned the horse "didn't cost a lot of money" yet hailed him as a "tough performer". Despite considering a return to fitness for more races, he concluded it would "not be fair" due to the horse's age.
The cherished Monbeg Dude spent his later years at Gatcombe Park beside Zara's late horse Toytown, which passed away in 2017. Both Zara and Toytown were expected to take part in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics but injuries prevented their participation.
Zara did, however, compete in the London 2012 Olympic Games, securing a silver medal in Team Eventing, mirroring the athletic legacy of her parents – her mother Anne competed in eventing at the 1976 Olympics while her father Mark Phillips clinched gold in 1972 Munich games.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
27 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Women's Euros 2025 Prize Money: What will England or Spain earn if they win, is it equal pay
The Women's Euro 2025 will take place between England and Spain this Sunday - but what will be the prize money if they win the tournament? Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Following another last gasp win for England in the semi-final against Italy, Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses are set to play in yet another major tournament final, with a clash against Spain set to take place in the Women's Euro 2025 final this Sunday. Fans have packed stadiums out across Switzerland over the summer, desperate to catch a glimpse of women's football's biggest names, with over half-a-million tickets sold during the tournament, alongside huge viewing figures on both the BBC and ITV, with supporters tuning in to catch a glimpse of England's Chloe Kelly and Spain's Aitana Bonmati. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A re-run of the Women's World Cup final two years ago, the Lionesses will look to enact revenge for their 1-0 defeat in Sydney, while also becoming the first England team to win a major tournament on foreign soil. But how much will they earn if they win the Women's Euros this summer - and how does it compare to the men's game? Here's everything you need to know ahead of this Sunday's final in Zurich. Can England emerge victorious after their last-gasp wins over Sweden and Italy in the knockout stages? When is the final of the Women's Euros 2025? The final of the Women's European Championships 2025 will be held at St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland on Sunday 27 July, with kick-off scheduled for 5pm UK time. As part of the tournament's closing ceremony, Asturia Quartet will perform the national anthems of the finalists ahead of the game, with the closing ceremony set to be 'brought to life through a powerful and evocative original score' composed by acclaimed Italian composer Ludovico Clemente. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There has been eight stadiums used across the tournament, with the final taking place at the 38,512 capacity stadium in Basel. What is the prize money for the Women's Euro 2025? The prize pot for the Women's Euro is the biggest ever in 2025, with national associations and players set to receive record rewards. In 2024, UEFA revealed they had approved a €41million prize money pot. Nations participating in the tournament will receive a participation payment of €1.8million, representing a 156% increase on the figure from the 2022 tournament held in England. In total, each nation was paid: Win in the group stage: €100,000 Draw in the group stage: €50,000 Reaching the quarter-finals: €550,000 Reaching the semi-finals: €770,000 This means that, so far, England have been awarded a total of €3,320,00, while Spain have been awarded €3,420,000, prior to the final this weekend. Aitana Bonmati will be key for Spain if they are to win their first Women's Euros in history. | Getty Images How much do the winners of Women's Euro 2025 earn? How does it compare to the men's prize money at Euro 2024? The nation that win the Women's Euros 2025 will be awarded a fee of €1.75million in addition to any prize money accrued earlier in the competition. The runners-up will be paid €850,000. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With England having already earned €3,320,000 for their tournament performance, the maximum prize money they will receive is €5,070,000 if they win the tournament - and €4,050,000 should they lose. Spain would land a figure of €5,170,000 if they win Sunday's final, as they won one extra group game, and €4,150,000 if they lose.
The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
ITV will SACK 1 in 10 cast members from Corrie and Emmerdale in savage cost-cutting bloodbath
ITV chiefs are plotting a bloodbath on their two flagship soaps by axing one in ten cast members in the latest round of savage cost-cutting. Proposed plans also include slashing the number of scenes per episode for Coronation Street and Emmerdale — after the broadcaster announced it is cutting a further £15million from its total budget. 2 ITV's profits have slumped by 44 per cent to £99million for the first six months of this year. Now insiders have revealed executives are putting pressure on their top soaps to slash their spiralling budgets, cutting the soaps' cast lists by ten per cent. Coronation Street has 84 permanent cast members and Emmerdale has 70. Staffing on both soaps has risen rapidly in recent years, with many actors guaranteed a minimum number of episodes and episode fees per year. It is also suggested scenes per episode could be cut. Both soaps have about 20 scenes per show. And the number of cast used each episode could also be trimmed. A soap source said: 'It's brutal. We've known it was on the cards for a while, but they're really cranking it up now and it's across the soaps. They're looking to save millions and Corrie and Emmerdale are the obvious places. They're very expensive shows. 'Many who have been there for a long time are reliant on their income staying as it is. 'The amount of cast has spiralled out of control and focusing on dialogue, not action, could also save money.' Coronation Street and Emmerdale announce huge 'crossover' special episode in UK soap first Some older cast members have full-time contracts with a salary, but the majority are paid by the episode. It comes amid cuts across the ITV daytime schedule, with hundreds of staff axed from Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women. ITV said of the proposals: 'This is complete speculation.' 2
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Marcia Hines: ‘The strangest thing I've done for love? Believe the lie'
You grew up with Donna Summer, as you were best friends with her little sister Linda. Is it true you two used to sneak into Donna's bedroom? It's true, I can't lie! She was older than us and any teenage girl knows that a teenager that's older than you is cooler than you. I don't think we ever read her diary or anything. But we wanted to see what she was wearing and try her clothes on. We'd try to hang them up tidy so she didn't know we had been in there. But she'd always know. She didn't like it. But that's what little sisters do! They annoy, you know? She was just so sophisticated and cool compared to us. Donna has passed, but she did get in touch with me and say how proud she was of my accomplishments and congratulations, which was a really nice thing. Is it true that you are distantly related to both Grace Jones and Colin Powell? Absolutely. They're my cousins. Grace is my second cousin and Colin would have been second or third. Grace was brought up in England and I was brought up in Boston, but I did meet up with her brother, Noel Jones, who has got the biggest black American church in LA. I actually went to church with him and one of the guys from the Rockmelons. He said, 'You look like Grace' – well actually, he said, in West Indian terms, he said, 'You favour Grace.' I didn't get to know Colin, but he was so way up in politics, it would have been very difficult to get to him. What's the best piece of advice you have ever received? Stay humble, be gracious, be grateful. And do unto others, as you have them do unto you. I was brought up very well – you learn those teachings as a kid, and it's important to put them into practice when you grow older. What are you secretly really good at? Mosaics! It's always been my hobby. I was taught that if you're artistic as a performer, you're usually artistic with your hands as well. You know that fantastic actor in Silence of the Lambs – Anthony Hopkins! He's an incredible artist. Tony Bennett too. And Joni Mitchell is a fine artist. It's messy, but I do like it. If someone's getting married, or if someone's going moving into a new home, I'll make something for them. It's a nice thing to give something of yourself that you've had to think about. I love to break dishes. What is the strangest thing you've done for love? Believe the lie. [laughs] What's been your most memorable interaction with a fan? There's so many of them. I adore my fans. If it wasn't for my fans, I wouldn't be able to live the dream that I'm living. So many people tell me really moving things – like someone was actually dying and they insisted they played my music as they died. That's big. I hear some incredible stories, because I do a meet and greet with my audience at the end of my shows. It's so touching, you know? One lady told me, 'That song encouraged me to leave my husband.' I was like, 'Well, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm so pleased I could help.' Do you have a nemesis? No. Well, hang on, hang on. Not that I know of, right? I hope not. You can't like everybody and everybody can't like you, but you can meet in the middle of all that madness. If you've got a nemesis, you probably made it. What's the oldest thing you own, and why do you still have it? My Bible, which I wrote in when I was about seven. I used to have a teddy bear that I had when I was a kid, and we put it into a teddy bear exhibition, and someone pinched it. But I still have my Bible. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion What's the most chaotic thing that has ever happened to you while on stage? I fell! This was back in the 1970s – I did a kick, and my foot went out from under me. So I stood up and did it again to make it look like a dance step. Also, one of the scariest things that ever happened to me was when I was doing Jesus Christ Superstar. It was almost time to go on stage to sing I Don't Know How to Love Him. Someone spoke to me about something and it disturbed me greatly so when I walked on stage, I blanked. It is scary when you blank. The conductor, Patrick Flynn, was a genius – he saw that I had lost my way, and I don't know where he got a piece of paper and a Texta, but he wrote down a prompt and held it up in the orchestra pit for me. It's not an unusual occurrence to forget lyrics. You do what you can not to. But when it's happening, a millisecond feels like an hour. What's been your biggest fashion crime to date? Platform shoes. It's all relative, isn't it – everything old is new again. I'm seeing all these rehashed hippies wearing clothes that I used to wear. Platforms are back, as are flared trousers and baggy clothes. When I was growing up, midriff was everything –that is back too. Do you have any pets, what are their names and what are their nicknames? I have a dog by the name of Dalley. He's a cavoodle. I also have a cat called Sistah and I have just got a new puppy called Brotha. So I always have a sister and brother in the house! Which book, album or film do you always return to, and why? Out on a Limb by Shirley MacLaine. That really was an incredible thing to read and it's still a very good book. It talks about being a spiritual person, and some of the things that she went through and expressing herself as a spiritual person when people thought she was mad. She's anything but! I don't know where we live as performers – we live someplace else. We can live in amongst this, but we live someplace else and especially when you've got a gift such as she has. I just really like Shirley. Marcia Hines' Marcia Sings Summer tour with Casey Donovan is heading around Australia in October; see here for dates. Her song You (Teddy Cream Remix) is out now (Sony Music Australia)
