Brendon McCullum's horse named after Ben Stokes to make his racing debut

With England Test captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum enjoying an excellent camaraderie, the former New Zealand cricketer has named his horse after the all-rounder. On Thursday, July 13, the horse will make his debut at Cambridge in New Zealand.

McCullum, the owner of the animal, and trainer Kurtis Pertab bred the three-year-old gelding horse. With the trials also going well, the trainer has shown optimism about bringing the horse into the official race.

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Speaking to LoveRacing NZ, Pertab stated:

"Hopefully we can get a win for him, it is a bit of pressure for a maidener. He has trained on well 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."

England captain Ben Stokes was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he lived until his family moved to England when he was 12.

Ben Stokes-led England face must-win situation in last two Ashes Tests

With England trailing 1-2 in the ongoing 2023 Ashes series, Ben Stokes has the responsibility of marshaling his troops towards two more victories. The Englishmen got over the line in the third Test at Headingley by two wickets on day 4.

The 32-year-old all-rounder has also led from the front, especially during the second Test at Lord's when he smashed 155 as England succumbed to 45-4, chasing 371. Although the hosts went down by 43 runs, the left-hander's innings received plenty of praise.

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Stokes' 80 in the first innings at Headingley was equally critical as it helped England cut the lead significantly and set them up for victory. The fourth Ashes Test starts in Manchester on July 19.

Should Ben Stokes and Co beat Australia in the next two Tests, they will become only the second side (after Australia in 1936-37) in Ashes history to win after being 0-2 down.