Harry Redknapp has bagged a mammoth £140,000 payday after his horse won the King George VI Chase on Friday. Despite heading into the race as a 6/1 outsider, The Jukebox Man stole the glory at Kempton, much to the elation of racing fans across the UK.

None more were as pleased than Redknapp however, with the 78-year-old spotted smiling as he was congratulated at the paddocks as his horse crossed the line first. The football manager, who has been involved in the world of racing since the 1980s, will have been well aware of the chances of winning the race heading into it.

Stuck in second for the majority of the contest, The Jukebox Man managed to overtake Il Est Francais with just three fences remaining, eventually taking first place by a nose. And as a result of the win, Redknapp will leave Kempton this evening at least £142,375 richer - the cash prize up for grabs for the race winner.

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Speaking after the race, an elated Redknapp told ITV Racing: "It's a dream to have a horse that good. I've got a lot of horses, and I love the game so much, so to even have one good enough to run here is just a dream come true.

"It was a great thing and I'm so proud. Having a winner is so special. What a race he's run. He jumped unbelievable. I thought he was beat and was going to finish fourth.

"The guts he has shown. It's special and emotional. It's a special day and everyone was jumping on me...I didn't know if I'd won. What a race. What an event. Everyone has done an unbelievable job."

He added: "It is right up there. Football was my life and when you are winning a cup final with the fans at a football club...I love the racing and the game, the people in it and to have a winner on the big stage is fantastic."

Meanwhile, jockey Ben Jones gave his reaction after the race, saying: "I thought I'd won by a head, and then the girls came running over not too sure.

"I said I was going to look silly if I did get beat but it's brilliant and we can retire now Harry, can't we?"

He added: "It's got to be right up there I think. It's probably the most fun I've had out on the race course. That's got to be up there.

"It always seems to be in these colours, which I don't mind. It's a brilliant day and someone said, 'Your name's on the list as good as all the other jockeys that have gone and won it,' so that means an awful lot."

Elsewhere, Ben Pauling - who trained the horse - had his say on the mammoth achievement. He said: "An incredible horse race. To turn in with as many and with the chance there was, it was always going to be a proper race. But that was exceptional. For us that's huge."

He added: "It means everything because we're always trying to elevate ourselves to the next level. That's life, you know. You can always spend too much time trying to be something more than you are.

"But when you've got good horses, you want them to perform on the big days. I was absolutely delighted it was a proper ding-dong of a race, and it was going to be a good race because you want to win the good ones, and everyone was there so that just means a lot."

It comes as Redknapp has emulated the glory of Sir Alex Ferguson at Kempton, given the Glaswegian Manchester United legend is no stranger to the King George VI Chase.

Ferguson's Clan des Obeaux was jockeyed to victory by Harry Cobden back in 2018, before Sam Twiston-Davies rode the Paul Nicholls-trained horse to victory the following year.