The Racing League is a new concept which takes place over six weeks with 12 teams competing in 36 handicap races – six races a week.
Here is our quick Horse Racing League betting guide. Learn about the race, free bets offers and sites that offer odds on the event in 2023.
The idea is an attempt to generate more interest in horse racing by offering something different for the public, and in the process increase prize money in a sport where funding, or lack of it, at the grassroots has become a very hot topic – a typical handicap at Wolverhampton on a Thursday night may offer 3.5K to the winner where a comparable Racing League event will offer 25K.
Racing League chief executive Jeremy Wray said: “Owners are the people who suffer most through the lack of prize-money – this idea was a way of making their assets work for them a bit better.
“There’s a huge gap between the top end of racing – Goodwood, Ascot, York and Cheltenham are all fantastic but if you’ve got the racing on in the background every day you think some of it is very mediocre.
“It serves a purpose but there’s a lot of space in the calendar for something better and different.”
Horse Racing League format and points scoring
Each team has a minimum of two and a maximum of four trainers, as well as three jockeys riding exclusively for one team during the competition. Each team also has one or two racing managers who may be a trainer, an owner, or even a personality who is a big fan of the sport. The teams each have a squad of 30 horses with the team manager deciding the selection for each of the races – which horse and which jockey – with all the races handicaps open to horses three years old and above.
For each race, each of the 12 sponsored teams will enter three horses at the six-day entry stage and then declare one to run at the 48-hour declaration stage. Each race will have a guaranteed field of 12 runners.
There will six races per meeting over distances from five furlongs up to 1m4f, with a pot of 50K – around 25K for the winner – per race shared between owners, trainers and jockeys.
For each race there are points available from 25 for first, down to one point for a 10th placed finish. Horses finishing 11th and 12th do not score. Once all 36 races have been completed, the team at the top of the Racing League table will be declared champions, with winners also earning a prize-money bonus.
Courses involved
As the league develops more courses are expected to register an interest in staging races, the first league involved Newcastle, Doncaster, Lingfield and Windsor.
There are 12 Racing League teams including some star names in the saddle, a few who are not traditionally seen at Windsor on a Thursday night. Among those involved in the first running were Frankie Dettori, champion jockey Oisin Murphy and Hollie Doyle. It is hoped that other star names will register an interest once the competition is a firm fixture in the racing calendar.
The racing will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing, with league sponsors William Hill horse betting website also screening every race free on William Hill Betting TV with the availability to place bets as you watch the racing, and during a race. If you want to pop along and see the action for yourself then tickets are also available from the courses involved.
Betting in Racing League: Free Bets & Odds
The individual races at Horse Racing League will be available to bet on all the gambling websites, with many sites offering incentives to new customers. Racing League sponsors William Hill usually provides £30 worth of free bets after your first £10 bet, Coral horse betting site regularly offers £20 in free bets for new customers after placing their first £5 bet, while Paddy Power typically offers a risk-free £20 bet for new customers – money refunded if your first bet loses.
Horse Racing League sponsors William Hill offers additional betting odds on different markets such as outright Racing League winner, with odds for the teams changing after every race, and after every meeting (set of six races). William Hill also offers special doubles where you can bet on a team to win one of the six weeks of competition, and also to win the league outright.
