Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man did not say nay to a horse named in his honor. As a matter of fact, on a visit to Jamaica last spring when Prince Harry showed a photo of four-legged, Usain Colt, Bolt may have responded with a “neigh.”
Bolt was quoted as saying that “to have a race horse named after you by someone who owns it like Prince Harry for me is an honor.”
Allegedly, the horse is owned by Ascot Racecourse.
Prince Harry is believed to have joined the Birdcage Racing Club run by Ascot, whose 100 members each pay an annual fee and share any prize money earned by Usain Colt.
Their aim is to promote the sport amid dwindling interest during the hard economic times.
Reportedly, the thre-year-old thoroughbred named after the world’s fastest man is being lined up for several races in Britain this summer and his owners are hoping that the Olympian will be able to meet him.
“Usain Bolt is not the easiest person to get a hold of these days, but I’d like to hope that Usain Colt’s chance to meet him after the Olympics would be boosted if the horse wins a race this summer,” Jake Warren, one of the horse’s handlers said.
Warren said Usain Colt deserves his name even though he has only won once – a year ago.
“He’s quite a big horse. He’s very athletically built and has lots of character,” Warren said. “He’s a laid-back horse with a big personality and has a presence like no other.
“Not other than Bolt, of course,” he added.
Like Bolt, Usain Colt has also had problems with his starts in the past year. He was forced out of the Royal Ascot meet, horse racing’s biggest event in Britain, and pulled from a recent race in Ireland because rain made the track too soft for him to run.
Usain Colt returned to the track recently for a seven-furlong race.
He finished second in a field of 10.
“He had an amazing sprint at the end, but was held too far back by the jockey in the beginning and ended a length and half behind the winner,” Warren said. “We hoped he’d win, but we hope that the good performance on the track will bring some good luck to Bolt’s Olympic 100 race.”
“He’s going to do great, takes time, work his way up,” Bolt said of the horse.
