Explainer: what is the Racing League and how does the competition work?

Season four of the Racing League kicks off at Yarmouth; here's everything you need to know

What is the Racing League?

A team-based competition spanning six evenings, 42 races and over £2 million in prize-money. All six fixtures have Premier racing status.

Who are the teams?

There are seven and they are divided regionally. Last year's winners Ireland take on London and the South, Scotland, the East, the North, Wales and the West (winners in 2022) and Yorkshire. Each team has a 'celebrity' manager who chooses the runners supplied by a pool of trainers representing each region, while the jockeys were selected by the managers via a draft and ride exclusively for their team. When the competition was launched in 2021, the teams were named after corporate sponsors rather than regions, with Team talkSPORT – managed by Rupert Bell and Alan Brazil – coming out on top.

• Full team lists here

When are this year's fixtures?

The action kicks off at Yarmouth on Thursday evening (July 25) with further meetings at Wolverhampton (August 1), Chepstow (August 8), Windsor (August 15), Newcastle (August 22) and Southwell (August 29).

How does it work?

The league is accumulative and points-based across all six fixtures, with each team ideally fielding two runners in each race – for fields of 14 – although just two of the seven races at Yarmouth have full fields (the second fixture at Wolverhampton has maximum fields of 13 with each race featuring one team only able to saddle one runner). Each race is worth 100 points, with 25 points to the winner, 18 for second, 15 for third, and then points of 12, 10, 8, 6, 3, 2 and 1 from fourth down to tenth. There is a bonus £50,000 winner-takes-all prize for the winning team.

Ado McGuinness (left) and Kevin Blake celebrate Ireland's Racing League win last yearCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

What about the Jokers?

Jokers are part of the game and all managers have them. In any two races across the 42 managers can play a joker and double their team's points from that race. The points apply to the team score but not the jockey's totals.

Are the jockeys treated differently?

Yes and no. They ride for their team and there is a £35,000 pot for the jockeys on the winning team, but there is a separate £20,000 prize for the individual jockey who scores the most points over the competition. In 2021 Jack Mitchell took top honours, while Saffie Osbourne has become the face of the Racing League by winning top jockey honours each of the last two seasons.

Where can I watch it?

ITV Racing will broadcast all 42 races live, as will Sky Sports Racing.

More on the Racing League:

'He's been prepared for this for a while'  - find out who has been lined up for Racing League feature  

Even Sir Michael Stoute is getting involved as Racing League begins to gain a foothold in sport's consciousness 

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