Wayne Hennessey hoping for an Oscar success

Wayne Hennessey is focusing on Wolves' survival battle – but he also has one eye on the Cheltenham Festival after revealing he has a runner there.

Hennessey's star horse is Oscar Close, who is trained by George Baker, and is entered in the Diamond Jubilee Chase at Cheltenham on Thursday and the Kim Muir on Friday.

The Wales international owns six horses, including two brood mares on the 21 acres at his Shrewsbury home.

He has horses with Shropshire trainer Mark Brisbourne, who is based at Great Ness, and with Baker at Whitsbury in Hampshire.

He has another horse with Baker, Yensi, who is his most successful so far, boasting three wins on the Flat at Windsor, Leicester and Wolverhampton.

"Oscar Close is a typical Irish horse, loves the mud," said the 25-year-old keeper.

Oscar Close's latest victory saw him romp home at Huntingdon by 20 lengths.

Hennessey is a fully involved owner. "I can't see horse racing and being an owner as some kind of factory thing," he said.

"When mine have finished racing, they will have a home with me.

"Racing takes my mind off football. To see your horse win, it's a completely different feeling to football.

"But you wouldn't want to be with me at a meeting, I'm best on my own. I'm more nervous than when I'm playing football."

Hennessey insisted he isn't involved in racing for heavy gambling.

"Footballers are supposed to be big gamblers, but I've never had more than £50 each way," he said. "If I lost thousands, I'd be jumping off a bridge with anger.

"I would lose the excitement if I had thousands and thousands on."

Hennessey also revealed he hopes to breed his own horses one day, like Manchester United's Michael Owen, and has visited the former England striker's Manor House Stables in Malpas in Cheshire.

"He has had a Royal Ascot winner," said Hennessey. "What can that be like?

"It is 24-7, a constant job, I am gradually learning," he said.

"There are problems, especially with the brood mares. You have to keep an eye on things."