Kevin Keegan (right) with Mick Channon at his stables(Image: Mike King)
Mick Channon described Kevin Keegan as ‘one of my best mates’ following the death of the former England and Liverpool legend aged 75. Channon, the former professional footballer turned racehorse trainer, led tributes from figures in the sport to Keegan, who also enjoyed success as a racehorse owner.
It had recently been revealed that Keegan, a star of the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1970s who also both played for and managed Newcastle United, amongst other clubs. had been receiving treatment for stage four cancer.
Channon, a teammate of Keegan’s for both England and Southampton following his high-profile switch from Hamburg in Germany, was amongst his closest companions, with the former trainer having ignited his passion for racing.
Channon claimed the Listed Washington Singer Stakes with Keegan’s finest horse, Funfair Wane, who would famously go on to win the Ayr Gold Cup on two occasions after joining David ‘Dandy’ Nicholls’ yard.
“It’s very sad,” Channon said. “He was one of my best mates and we’ve known for a little while this was coming.
“I think as you get older yourself things like this get tougher. We had a great time together – when we were fit, young and well and with Bally (Alan Ball) too, we had a wonderful time with some real characters.
Kevin Keegan and Mick Channon: teammates at Southampton(Image: Getty Images)
“Kevin came to Southampton a Ballon d’Or winner, but you wouldn’t have known, he had time for everyone and never once acted like the star that he was. Life was fun and football was part of it. I was the one who was mad into the racing but Kevin and Bally loved it too, racing was great fun for them and we did a lot of it.
“Kevin was just a smashing lad, a great human being. When you think of the profile he had, he never turned away any autograph or photo, he was a people person. We had some great fun all of us together, that’s how I’ll remember him.
“Kevin and Jean (wife) even bred a few horses and that added to the fun and then he became England manager which got in the way a bit!”.
Kevin Keegan with Frankie Dettori at the Shergar Cup(Image: PA)
“When you look back at his time with England he was one of the better ones really. He was a mate though, first and foremost. It’s a very sad day, but the poor lad is at rest now.”
Jockey Adrian Nicholls, a proud Sunderland supporter, rode Funfair Wane — bred by Jean Keegan — to the first of his two Ayr Gold Cup triumphs back in 2002, and holds fond memories of Keegan.
“Winning an Ayr Gold Cup for him was special. I was just a middle-of-the-road jockey and he was such a high-profile footballer – we had some great conversations, especially with me being a Sunderland fan,” said Nicholls.
Funfair Wane: winning the 2004 Ayr Gold Cup(Image: Press Association)
“He was such a cool guy to ride for, he never put you under any pressure. He could have got anybody to ride him but let me. To win one Ayr Gold Cup is hard enough but to win two was unbelievable.
“It’s a very sad day as he was just a legend of a bloke.
“It was down to Mick Channon how Dandy got Funfair. Mick recommended Dandy after he started to lose his way a bit and as they say, the rest is history.”