STAR striker Roque Santa Cruz has taken his love of success from the football pitch to the race track with his very own prize-winning horse.

The Blackburn Rovers ace is understood to have been track-side at Great Leighs, Chelmsford, Essex, on Thursday night, to watch his horse, Audemar, triumph in the Colne Maiden Stakes.

It was the second time two-year-old Audemar had been raced and it was a hot 1-5 favourite going into the race.

With many eyes on the horses, others turned to the three Premier League footballers who had arrived at the track to cheer on their animal.

Audemar is owned by the high profile Gute Freunde Partnership which is made up of Rovers and Paraguayan star Santa Cruz, 27; Manchester United and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, 27; and Chelsea and Chile striker Claudio Pizarro, 30, who is currently on loan at German side Werder Bremen.

The trio all played together during their time at Bayern Munich and share a love of horses.

Jockey Jamie Spencer got Audemar across the finishing line a length and a quarter ahead of 20-1 shot Dynamo Dane.

Spencer said: “He won as we expected really, and hopefully the boys will have a bit of fun with him next year when he steps up in trip.”

Audemar is trained by Ed Vaughan at Newmarket, Suffolk.

Santa Cruz joined the Ewood Park club in July 2007 from Bayern Munich and set the Premier League alight in his first season scoring 19 goals.