'I think we're pretty strong in places' - captain Jamie Osborne bullish as leaders Wales and the West eye Racing League title

Three teams appear to be in contention going into the penultimate week of the Racing League, with Wales and the West in front before Thursday evening's meeting at Newcastle.

The 2022 winners head the standings with 571.5pts ahead of London and the South on 567pts and the East with 529pts. There is a big gap back to Ireland in fourth on 395 points.

Wales and the West are 11-10 to reclaim the title with Ladbrokes and head to the north-east with two chances in every race. Their team includes two of the winners from last week's Racing League fixture at Windsor, Parlando and Night Breeze. Other standouts for the team, captained by trainer Jamie Osborne, include Banderas (5.45) and Ten Pounds (8.45).

Osborne said: “I think we're fielding a medium team in terms of strength. It has been tough trying to get 14 competitive runners together, but I think we're pretty strong in places.

“It looks as though the competition is going to come down to us three teams. Sadly for Kevin Blake, it looks as though Ireland’s chance was lost at Chepstow and, coming into the competition, I thought it could be between us and the Irish.

“I think we're relatively strong in the last race at Newcastle. Harry Charlton very much likes Ten Pounds, while Kingdom Come has fantastic form on the all-weather – he seems to grow a leg on the artificial surfaces and Clive Cox has been very happy with how he has been training.

“Ian Williams has last week’s winners coming back. Ian has been a great supporter of the Racing League. He has a lot of horses who suit these races and is one of the reasons we have been able to maintain 14 runners most weeks.”

London and the South have two runners in every race, bar one, and the main contenders for the Matt Chapman-managed team include Accrual (6.45), Who's Glen (7.15) and Storm Star (7.45).

The East kick off the night with two overnight favourites, Almudena and Fox Legacy, while Fidelius (6.45), So Deuce (7.45),  Heathcliff (8.15) and Kodi Lion (8.45) are among the main market fancies.

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