Racehorse named after Line of Duty star sells for nearly £70,000 in Doncaster

Ted Hastings named after the police chief played by Adrian Dunbar, was snapped up at the Doncaster Spring Sale earlier this week.

And rather than being a ‘wee donkey.’ the horse is being tipped for success on the track.

Hastings had viewers in stitches in the last season of the BBC1 show with his line: "Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey” and is known for his relentless pursuit of ‘bent coppers’ in the show.

But the equine Ted won a three-mile point to point in Ireland on his debut - one of just two finishers in a gruelling race.

Kildare-based trainer Peter Flood put the five-year-old horse up for sale at Wednesday’s auction at Doncaster’s Goffs UK.

Flood told the Racing Post about the inspiration behind the name and said: "It was my girlfriend Zoe's idea. We thought he [the horse] was a good one and that we might give the name to a good horse.

"He won the race well and hopefully it might catch someone's eye.

"It all just happened by chance. It was funny the way it worked out but we'd both been following the programme for a long time."

"He's athletic, he jumps and there's pedigree back along. He'll win plenty of races."

The horse was bought by Aidan O’Ryan and Gordon Elliott for £68,000.