Geri Halliwell and her husband Christian Horner appear to have made a winning bet after their horse racing empire enjoyed a bumper year.
The 51-year-old Spice Girl, and the 50-year-old Red Bull F1 team principal set up his racehorse ownership company, OMBI, in 2021.
And newly published accounts have revealed that after going on a £600,000 spending spree last year, the business’s profits have tripled.
Documents show the couple spent £137,000 on biological assets, £280,000 on buildings and £187,000 on motor vehicles to build up assets worth just under £1m.
And their investment appears to have paid off, with OMBI turning a profit and retained earnings after invoices rising to £220,000 from £69,000 the previous year.
Geri Halliwell and husband Christian Horner appear to have made a winning bet, after their horse racing empire enjoyed a bumper year (pictured together in July)
The Spice Girl, 51, and the Red Bull F1 team principal, 50, set up their racehorse ownership company, OMBI, in 2021.
And newly published accounts have revealed that after they went on a £600,000 spending spree last year, the firm’s profits have tripled.
The company, whose ownership is split equally between Geri and Christian, lists the nature of its business as “racehorse ownership activities.”
The couple own several racehorses, which they have renamed after songs from Geri’s solo career, including Look at Mee, Lift Me Up, Mi Chico Latino and It’s Raining Men.
Lift Me Up is an eight-year-old male, real name Hector, and is one of his most successful horses, taking his first win at Newbury last year.
According to the British Horseracing Authority, the pair earned £2,361.18 in prize money for winning one race in front of 70,000 punters.
He cost a whopping £28,000 and was tipped as a potential contender for the Cheltenham Festival in March but ended up not running.
However, Christian and Geri were seen watching the gelding compete in a point-to-point competition that same month, where he came in first place.
In January, Geri revealed that Hope, renamed Look At Mee in honour of the singer’s 1999 hit, had run her first race and placed fifth.
All of the pair’s horses race under the ‘GHR’ banner, which stands for Geri Horner Racing.
The couple own several racehorses, which they have renamed after songs from Geri’s solo career, including Look at Mee, Lift Me Up, Mi Chico Latino and It’s Raining Men.
Lift Me Up is an eight-year-old male, real name Hector, and is one of their most successful horses; the pair were spotted watching him compete in a point-to-point competition that same month, where he came first (pictured).
The couple also finished work on a 14-horse stable, which includes two pens for foals, at their Oxfordshire home last year, despite prompting complaints from their neighbours.
Speaking about her love of horse racing, Christin told The Telegraph it was “just a bit of fun” and admitted it was “a bit of escapism from the madness of F1”.
He added: “We don’t really know what we’re doing, but it’s exciting. It’s something Geri and I love and enjoy as a family.”
The profitable year for their company comes after a few difficult months for the couple, who married in 2015.
In February, it emerged that Christian had sent inappropriate text messages to a female employee.
The woman, in her 40s, went to the Formula 1 team’s HR department after receiving Christian’s messages, often late at night.
She accused him of “coercive behaviour” but an internal investigation chaired by an unknown KC appointed by Red Bull cleared him. Christian has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
The accuser has been suspended as the saga continues, sparking fury from campaign groups who claim “women simply have no confidence that their complaints will be properly investigated”.
The couple also completed work on a 14-horse stable, including two breeding stalls, at their Oxfordshire home last year, despite prompting complaints from their neighbours.
The profitable year for his company comes after a difficult few months for the couple, who married in 2015, after it emerged in February that Christian had sent inappropriate text messages to an employee (pictured in March).
She accused him of “coercive behaviour” but an internal investigation chaired by an unknown KC appointed by Red Bull cleared him. Christian has strongly denied any wrongdoing (pictured in March)
Geri recently spoke about the importance of finding “courage” amid her family’s ongoing scandal and said that themes “within” her, including finding “power” in difficult situations and seeking support, are explored in her new children’s book.
She said: ‘There are themes within me that are in the book and they are about finding your power in any situation.
“If you are being bullied, and it doesn’t matter how old you are, if you are lonely or grieving a loss, the important thing is to find courage.”
Christian’s future in F1 remains under scrutiny after text messages between him and what appears to be a female colleague were leaked in 79 screenshots, while an anonymous sender sent an email that also included copies to FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 boss Stefano Domenicali.
MailOnline has previously revealed how the woman at the centre of the texting scandal told friends she “feels let down” by the Austria-based FI team she worked with.
Authorities suspended her for “dishonesty” just after announcing that Christian had been exonerated, but she has now appealed, although no time limit has been set for her case.
Red Bull took action against her after suggestive WhatsApp messages were sent from anonymous email addresses to 149 people, including F1 officials and motor racing correspondents.
Geri recently spoke about the importance of finding “courage” amid her family’s ongoing scandal and said that themes “within” her, including finding “power” in difficult situations and seeking support, are explored in her new children’s book (pictured from July).
The woman insists she was not the source and is “disappointed” by the treatment she has received at the company where she has worked for the past five years.
A friend said: ‘Questions need to be asked about the Red Bull investigation – transparency would build trust in what is happening to him.
“She just can’t get over the fact that she filed a complaint and was suspended; all she wants is transparency in the process.”
The woman’s plea echoes that of Red Bull Racing’s current engine partner Honda, which also called for “clarity” over the investigation that ultimately cleared Christian.
