Brendon McCullum’s horse named after star England cricketer set to make debut in Cambridge racecourse

The Bazball duo of the English cricket team will now be seen on the horse race course. Former New Zealand batter and England Coach Brendon McCullum named his horse after England skipper Ben Stokes. McCullum’s horse Stokes will make his debut in Cambridge, New Zealand, on Thursday, July 13.

The three-year-old gelding horse was bred by McCullum and trainer Kurtis Pertab. With the trials also going well, the trainer is optimistic about entering the horse in the main event. “Hopefully we can get a win for him; it is a bit of pressure for a maiden.” He has trained well from his trials; I couldn’t be happier with him.”

“It will just come down to race day experience and whether he is sharp enough against race day pressure. His trials have been good, so he should go alright”, trainer Pertab told Loveracing NZ. Notably, England skipper Ben Stokes also has his roots in New Zealand. He was born in Christchurch and lived there until his family moved to England.

Will ‘Bazball’ make a comeback in Ashes 2023?

Currently, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, along with the English team, are facing Australia in the Ashes series. After losing the first two games in Birmingham and Lord’s, England made a comeback in the Leeds Test. After winning the nail-biting thriller by three wickets, England now trails Australia by 2-1 in the five-match series. The 32-year-old all-rounder has also led from the front, most notably in the second Test at Lord’s, when he hit 155 as England fell to 45-4 while chasing 371.

Even though the hosts were defeated by 43 runs, the left-hander’s performance was lauded. Stokes’ 80 in the first inning at Headingley was similarly important in cutting England’s lead dramatically and setting them up for victory. The fourth Ashes Test begins on July 19 in Manchester.