Keegan plots Ayr raid

This was a day out with the family back on home soil, and Keegan was buzzing with enthusiasm after Funfair Wane had completed his Ayr preparations by finishing a promising third over a mile trip that looked beyond his best.

"Mick Channon did a great job with him last year when he took on top-class horses like Hawk Wing, but he settles down a lot more before his races now he's moved to David Nicholls in Yorkshire. He ran a cracker the other day until his stamina just gave out over a mile," he said.

"Six furlongs at Ayr should suit him better and, although he only has a sporting chance in a very tough contest, it wouldn't surprise me to see him run a decent race."

It's probably as well that Keegan is otherwise engaged with an away game at Upton Park on Saturday given that just about the only way to find a spare bed in Ayr during the Western Meeting is to get admitted to casualty.

Those who have secured digs for a three-day bunfight which begins tomorrow will find things are done rather differently on the Scottish circuit. The social scene isn't for the faint-hearted, and nor is the job of riding winners, if some of the tales are to be believed.

It's as well to spare the blushes of the leading rider who made the mistake of forcing his mount up to pip a gambled-on runner owned by a prominent member of the Glasgow underworld.

Suffice to say that he was wearing only his socks and a worried frown by the time he was dumped from a car near Kilmarnock, while senior starting price reporter John Broadway reports that the leading Scottish bookmakers have equally little regard for convention as they go about their business.

"They never shy away from laying short-priced favourites and, once they get the bit between their teeth, common sense seems to go out of the window," he said.

"Even when results go against them, they think nothing of taking the next one on just as heavily. If you can't make money backing horses on course in Scotland then you can't do it anywhere."

Keegan is more interested in pedigrees than punting nowadays and, having bred Funfair Wane with his wife Jean at their base in the North East, he feels a connection to his horse which most owners can never share.

"It's something very special to see a foal you bred at home develop into something good enough to run in a race like the Ayr Gold Cup," he said. "We only keep two or three mares these days, but we know the families inside out. Although I can't be there on Saturday, Jean and the rest of the family will be giving him a cheer."

The crossover between football and racing grows ever stronger, and Keegan has no doubt that the vast increase in what players and managers are paid nowadays has helped them climb further up the ownership ladder than they used to.

"A few of us used to dabble when I was playing, but now the money is so good football people can get involved at a much higher level," he said. "Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman have done well over jumps, Michael Owen has a lovely filly in Treble Heights, and what Rock Of Gibraltar has done for Alex has been out of this world."

Funfair Wane faces a hard day's work in arguably the fiercest handicap of the year on Saturday, while Keegan's players will also have their work cut out against a West Ham side who are desperate for their first win of the season.

"We haven't had a bad start to the season, but I really thought we could get something from our game at Arsenal last week and we were disappointing at home to Blackburn on Sunday until the last 15 minutes," he said.

"That said, to come back from 2-0 down to get a draw after Danny Tiatto had been sent off shows the belief this team has. I still feel that we can cause anyone problems when we're on song."

Funfair Wane is clearly on song after his Doncaster run. With his trainer Nicholls seeking a third consecutive Ayr Gold Cup win, Ladbrokes cut his odds for Scotland's most famous race from 25-1 to 16s on Monday, while City are around 2-1 to keep West Ham winless for another week.

Hammers' fans will be praying that at least one half of the double comes to nothing. But Keegan would love it - just love it - if the other one obliges.