Racing League, the innovative new horseracing team competition, has today announced a multi-million pound partnership with News UK – the owner of radio station, talkSPORT and publisher of national titles including The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times, with the collaboration aiming to open up racing to a more diverse and mainstream audience.
The Sun will publish informative bespoke Racing League pull-outs packed full of interviews, stats, guides and tips, ahead of each of the six consecutive Thursday evening race meetings, which are set to be hosted at Newcastle, Doncaster, Lingfield Park and Royal Windsor racecourses this summer.
In the build-up to the series curtain raiser at Newcastle Racecourse on Thursday 29 July, and in addition to publishing six weekly columns, The Times will feature a comprehensive Racing League preview, profiling jockeys, such as Hollie Doyle, Frankie Dettori, and Oisin Murphy, and trainers, including John Gosden, Andrew Balding and Richard Fahey, who will make up the 12 confirmed teams.
Racing in striking bespoke team colours, Racing League’s 12 teams – each consisting of 2-4 trainers working together, three jockeys, stable staff and a squad of 30 horses – will compete across 36 handicap races, for a total prize pot of over £2m.
The Sun’s acclaimed fantasy game specialist, Dream Team will partner with Racing League, giving both horseracing enthusiasts and those new to the sport an exciting opportunity to pick and manage their ultimate racing team, with the overall champion banking £10,000.
All of Racing League’s 36 races will be aired live on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2, which will be anchored by the station’s team of presenters, with an outside broadcast hosted live from the Racing League series opener at Newcastle Racecourse on Thursday 29 July.
Racing League’s Chief Marketing Officer, Oli Harris, said: “This investment in media is unprecedented in our sport, and will help fulfil our aim to take racing mainstream this summer. We want millions of people to share in the fun and excitement of Racing League and follow the drama of the competition over a two-month period.
In terms of media prestige, our aim is to position horseracing alongside football, rugby and cricket, where it once was, and Racing League’s partnership with News UK will help us achieve that goal.”
News UK Broadcasting CEO, Scott Taunton, said: “Racing League is a fantastic concept and one that our world-class brands will bring to life across print, digital and audio. The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times and talkSPORT have form when it comes to inspiring audiences around big sporting events and they will be there to bring all the excitement of Racing League to a large and diverse group of fans.”
To find out more about the Racing League, visit www.racingleague.uk
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MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Tim Welland
rEvolution
twelland@revolutionworld.com
+44 (0)778 778 0036
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 horseracing 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.
About News UK
News UK is one of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Its newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS.
Wireless, our audio business, comprises national stations talkSPORT, Times Radio, talkRADIO and Virgin Radio – home to the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky – as well as market-leading local stations across Ireland.
News UK is owned by News Corp (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV), a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content. For more information on our brands please go to www.news.co.uk or follow us on Twitter @NewsUK.