Luke Littler buys racehorse with Stephen Bunting and Premier League icon

Luke Littler has ventured into another sport, by partnering up with Stephen Bunting and Michael Owen to buy a racehorse.

‘The Nuke’ has joined forces with fellow darts star Bunting and former Liverpool hero Owen to purchase a two-year-old colt for £54,000.

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The horse has been given the name Bunting Mental and is currently being prepared by trainer Hugo Palmer in Cheshire.

It’s fair to say the name will prove popular among fans, which is inspired by the chant ‘Let’s Go Bunting Mental’, sung when Bunting is in action.

Littler‘s partnership with Owen and Bunting sees him venture beyond the world of darts, following his meteoric rise in the sport in recent years.

His recent interest in horse-racing appears to be inspired by his recent trip to Cheltenham Festival in March.

The 19-year-old spent two days at the iconic event, and even won a huge £2,500 bet in the opening race on Day Two.

Meanwhile Owen’s love for horses is well-documented, with the ex-England international owning a number of racehorses over the years, as well as riding in a charity race at Ascot in 2017.

Trainer Palmer has previously attended the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, and admitted he was thrilled to see the three sportsmen form an ownership group.

He told Sun Racing: “They haven’t been up to the yard yet, they’re due to come but they’ve been busy with the Premier League darts. 

“Stephen is a big racing fan and I think everyone saw how much Luke enjoyed Cheltenham. He has a huge following and he is an extraordinary talent. 

“It’s great to have a young guy involved, most of our high-profile sportsmen in horse ownership are of my generation, so it’s great to have people of the next generation.”

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Bunting Mental is by the stallion Ardad, who sired sprinting champion and Royal Ascot winner Perfect Power.

The colt has shown promise in a recent racecourse gallop, with Palmer hopeful the cold will make his racing debut in June.

He continued: “I think they have a really nice horse on their hands.

“He has pleased us in everything that he’s done, he won’t be ready to run for a couple of months but he is a horse we are high on.”

Before Littler and Bunting can throw themselves into their new venture, they have a stacked darts schedule to focus on.

Both players are in action in this year’s Premier League Darts, with Night 12 of the competition up next.

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The next instalment sees the Premier League travel to Liverpool on Thursday night.

Littler faces reigning champion and main rival Luke Humphries, while Bunting is up against Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals.