Antoine Griezmann has X/1 horse 'in the form of his life' racing in UK today

It is not unusual for footballers to dip their toes into the world of horseracing, and France international Antoine Griezmann is among those who are firmly involved with the sport. The star owns a string of horses, including Hooking, a nine-year-old gelding who has enjoyed a successful career on the flat.

Trained by Philippe Decouz, Hooking is set to race at Newcastle today (Friday) on the All-Weather Championships Finals Day. The gelding featured in the meeting last year, but was ultimately forced to settle for a third-placed finish.

Hooking travelled sweetly for jockey Aurelien Lemaitre in the 1m2f furlong contest, tracking the leaders before staying on to challenge. However, Elegant Man had stolen a march on his rivals under David Egan and wasn't for catching.

Griezmann will be hoping his runner will be able to improve on that performance when Hooking takes to the track on Friday, being priced at odds of X/1.

Speaking about his chances, Decouz explained: "Hooking is really in great form - actually, he is in the form of his life, even better than he was at this time last year.

"He was beaten last time out but the winner No Lunch is a top-class horse with remarkable ability for the all-weather. We were exceptionally well received at Newcastle last year. It was a great experience and that is what's bringing us back."

Decouz went on to speak about how he expects the race to be very competitive due to the prize money on offer at Newcastle for their Easter meeting. He added: "These big English handicaps have very good prize money, but the competition is incredibly strong.

"These are Group-level horses! But it is excellent fun and an interesting challenge. I hope we get a good draw, which will let us travel near the front of the field, and he will be ridden by Aurelien Lemaitre."

Hooking heads into the race as one of the favourites, though he may need to improve upon his performance last year if he is to land the spoils. Penzance, who finished second in front of Hooking, is bid for glory again, with Paradias and Charlotte's Web also arriving in good form and capable of landing this contest.