MICHAEL OWEN has lost over a stone in weight while preparing to make his debut as a jockey, he has revealed.

The 37 year-old retired from football in 2013 after a brief stint with Stoke, and can be usually found in the stands at Ascot, but this will be his first time in the saddle.

Mr Owen told the BBC that he has been in hard training for his debut at Ascot on Friday November 24.

He said: “What we’re dealing with here is 500 kilos of muscle that has been fed, and bred, to just explode on the gallops or on the race track.

“Trying to control that when you’re 80 kilos as I am, is so difficult.”

“It’s been such a lesson, the ups, the downs, the weight loss, getting dumped on the floor, the pain, it’s all been a massive learning curve and it’s been way harder than I thought.”