The former New Zealand batter and current coach of the England Test team Brendon McCullum names his horse after England skipper and star all-rounder Ben Stokes. The horse will make its debut at Cambridge in New Zealand on Thursday, July 13. The three-year-old gelding horse was bred by McCullum, the animal’s owner, and Kurtis Pertab, the horse’s trainer. The trainer has expressed hope about entering the horse in the official race because the trials have gone well.
The former New Zealand opener spoke to Loveracing NZ about his horse’s maiden race. He said, “Hopefully we can get a win for him, it is a bit of pressure for a maidener. He has trained well on from his trials, I couldn’t be happier with him. It will just come down to raceday experience and whether he is sharp enough against raceday pressure. His trials have been good, so he should go alright.”
Ben Stokes’ heroics in the current Ashes
Stokes, the Test captain of England, was brought up in Christchurch, New Zealand, and lived there until he was 12 years old before his family relocated to England. Ben Stokes is in charge of leading his team to two more victories in the current 2023 Ashes series because England is down 1-2. By two wickets on day four of the third Test at Headingley, the English team prevailed.
The 32-year-old all-rounder had additionally taken the initiative, especially in the second Test at Lord’s during which he scored 155 while England were stumbling at 45-4 while attempting to chase down 371. Despite the hosts losing by 43 runs, the left-hander’s performance was highly praised.
At Headingley, Stokes’ 80 in the first innings was just as crucial in allowing England to significantly reduce the deficit and put themselves in a position to win. On July 19, the fourth Ashes Test is all set to begin in Manchester. Stokes and team will only become the second side in Ashes history to triumph after falling behind 0-2 if they defeat Australia in the following two Test matches.
