Racing League is thrilled to announce global bookmaker William Hill as title partner of the inaugural Racing League, which gets underway at Newcastle Racecourse on Thursday 29 July and concludes at the same venue on Thursday 2 September.
Run over six consecutive Thursday evenings at four racecourses, including Newcastle, Doncaster, Lingfield Park and Royal Windsor, Racing League is a new and innovative team-based horseracing competition, comprising 12 teams and 36 handicap races, with £1.8million prize money at stake on the racetrack, plus £200,000 in bonuses for the winning team and top three jockeys.
Founded in the UK in 1934, William Hill is a recognised and trustedbrand in the global sports betting and gaming market. While it has a number of large partnerships within the sport, Racing League showcases William Hill’s commitment to invest in and support the innovation of horseracing.
Commenting on the announcement, Liam McKee, Head of Sponsorship and Media at William Hill, said: “At William Hill, racing is part of our DNA, and the Racing League is a truly unique and innovative project that we are delighted to be involved in. Bring on next Thursday!”
The partnership includes all branding and naming rights of the William Hill Racing League, including the four host racecourses.
Each of Racing League’s 12 teams will ride in striking, bespoke colours and will consist of 2-4 trainers working together, three jockeys, stable staff and a squad of 30 horses. A £150,000 winner-takes-all prize will be up for grabs for the team that accumulates the most points over the League’s six meetings.
Oli Harris, CMO of Racing League, commented: “William Hill is one of the biggest names in the sports industry, and will help take Racing League to the next level in terms of our profile. We are very much looking forward to working with the team at William Hill to maximise this relationship. With a week to go until our first event, it’s a very exciting time for Racing League.”
As part of the partnership, William Hill has set the ante post prices for each of Racing League’s 12 teams, based on their chances of winning the League and banking the £150,000 bonus. Pricing is, as follows:
Newmarket Red 9/2 (John & Thady Gosden, Robert Cowell, David Simcock & Sir Mark Prescott); Team ThoroughBid 6/1 (Andrew Blading & Richard Hannon); eToro Racing 13/2 (Richard Fahey & Tim Easterby); Team Ireland 7/1 (Joseph O’Brien & Donnacha O’Brien); Team talkSPORT 7/1 (James Fanshawe, Ed Dunlop & Michael Bell),Team Swish 8/1 (Clive Cox, Ed Walker, Charlie Hills & Jamie Osborne); Team ODDSbible 9/1 (Roger Charlton, Brian Meehan, Alan King & Martyn Meade); Team Race Horse Lotto 10/1 (George Boughey, James Ferguson, William Knight & Stuart Williams); Goat Racing 12/1 (Tom Clover, Charlie Fellowes, George Scott & Hugh Palmer); Team Arena 14/1 (Mick Appleby, Michael Dods, Paul Midgley & David O’Meara); Remulate Racing 14/1 (Mick Channon, Paul & Oliver Cole & Eve Johnson-Houghton); Team BullionVault 14/1 (George Baker, David Menuisier, Gary Moore & Amanda Perrett).
William Hill – Each Way Terms – 3 places at 1/5 odds
ENDS
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Tim Welland
media@championshiphorseracing.com
+44 (0)778 778 0036
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Racing League
Championship Horse Racing (CHR) – the team behind the Racing League – has a fundamental aim to engage and introduce a wider global audience to horse racing through an innovative, interactive, and accessible team- and points-based format.
Over the course of six weeks during the British summer, the Racing League will make horse racing compelling viewing for sports fans, who loves the drama, raw emotion and entertainment that team competitions create. CHR is determined for the Racing League to become an integral part of the British summer sporting calendar.
William Hill Racing League – How It Works!
Teams
12 teams will participate in the William Hill Racing League, which will consist of 36 handicap races, taking place over six weeks. Each team consists of:
- Trainers – minimum of two and a maximum of four
- Three jockeys – who will ride exclusively for one team during the competition
- A squad of 30 horses – ‘squad reshuffle’ in Week 4 for fresh legs
- Team Manager – who will decide team selection for each race
Racecourses
- Opening Racing League meeting at Newcastle Racecourse on Thursday 29 July 2021
- Doncaster, Lingfield Park and Royal Windsor racecourses also set to host race meetings
Race Days
- Race Day 1 – Newcastle – 29July
- Race Day 2 – Doncaster – 5August
- Race Day 3 – Lingfield Park – 12 August
- Race Day 4 – Royal Windsor – 19 August
- Race Day 5 – Lingfield Park – 26 August
- Race Day 6 – Newcastle – 2 September
Races
All races are handicap races open to horses three years old and above with a handicap rating 0-90. A team will enter one runner in each race. Each race has a guaranteed field of 12 runners. £50,000 prize money per race – paid to owners/trainers/jockeys.
Race Distances
Each meeting will have six races over the following distances:
- 5 furlongs
- 6 furlongs
- 7 furlongs
- 8 furlongs – 1-mile race
- 10 furlongs – 1 and ¼ mile race
- 12 furlongs – 1 and ½ mile race
Prize Money
£1.8m prize money is up for grabs on the racetrack, equating to £50,000 for each race. This money is distributed to owners, trainers, jockeys, as per standard BHA distribution. The Racing League champions will also receive a winning team bonus. Each team will have a fan ambassador, or ‘Super Fan’, who will also win big if their team wins the Racing League.
Winning Team Bonus
There will be a £150,000 winning team bonus in addition to the series’ already guaranteed £1.8m prize money. The extra prize money will be shared by the winning team and leading jockeys, as follows:
- £60,000 to the trainers
- £30,000 shared by the trainers’ yards’ stable staff
- £30,000 to the owners, whose horses will make up the 30-strong squad
- £30,000 split equally amongst the three jockeys
Jockeys’ Bonus
A £50,000 bonus will be shared by Racing League’s top three jockeys, as follows:
- £25,000 bonus to the jockey that scores the most points
- £15,000 bonus to the jockey that scored the second most point
- £10,000 bonus to the jockey that scores the third most point
