Racing League 2025 kicks off at Great Yarmouth on Thursday, July 24, with a record number of participants already signed up, including over 170 trainers.
Now in its fifth year, Racing League will once again see seven teams battle it out across six Thursday night fixtures and 42 races, with over £2 million in prize money on offer.
ITV Racing will provide a dedicated broadcast of every Racing League meeting, in addition to full coverage from Sky Sports Racing.
Each fixture, worth £330,000, includes a feature £75,000 handicap and three £50,000 handicaps, with no race run for less than £35,000.
The winning team will receive a bonus of £50,000, with a £35,000 bonus pot for the winning team’s jockeys, and £20,000 to the jockey that scores the most individual points over the competition.
This year’s fixtures:
- July 24 – Great Yarmouth
- July 31 – Wolverhampton
- August 7 – Chepstow
- August 14 – Windsor
- August 21 – Newcastle
- August 28 – Southwell
The process of selecting trainers for the teams has been updated, in a bid to provide more participation opportunities.
Each team will start Racing League 2025 with an initial complement of six trainers and six jockeys, with team managers adding more trainers and jockeys each week as the competition progresses.
Wales & The West regained its Racing League title last year with a superb performance on the final night at Southwell and will be looking to challenge again under the guidance of ever-present manager Jamie Osborne.
Osborne said: “I see they have tweaked the format to give the other teams a better chance, but we know what it takes to win this competition and are confident of retaining the title.”
Wales & The West with the 2024 Racing League trophy (Pic – Tony Knapton)
There has been a shake-up in the manager ranks, with former Grand National-winning jockey Mick Fitzgerald taking over from Kevin Blake to lead Ireland, and sports broadcaster Alex Steedman replacing Linda Perratt as manager of Scotland. Charlie Fellowes steps up to lead The East as his team bids to go one better than last year.
Racing presenter Matt Chapman, who reprises his role as manager of London & The South, said: “I was so disappointed after last year’s competition that I sacked myself, but I had to U-turn the decision for the good of the competition. Also, it’s important not to quit in life like Kevin Blake has done. There’s a bigger picture and Kevin sadly just gave up.”
Football legend Mick Quinn is back to lead The North and racing presenter Leonna Mayor will manage Yorkshire again. Both will be looking to benefit from the updated selection process.
Saffie Osborne, Racing League’s top rider for the last three seasons, returns for Wales & The West, with last year’s second and third placed jockeys Daniel Muscutt and Billy Loughnane among those keen to take the title from her.
2025 Team Managers:
- Ireland – Mick Fitzgerald
- London & The South – Matt Chapman
- Scotland – Alex Steedman
- The East – Charlie Fellowes
- The North – Mick Quinn
- Wales & The West – Jamie Osborne
- Yorkshire – Leonna Mayor
