Official betting partner

William Hill International has inked a deal with an innovative UK horseracing competition. It makes the 888 Holdings-owned sportsbook the official betting partner of the Racing League’s 2022 season, which begins August 4.

made its well-received debut in 2021

Monday’s announcement gives a timely boost to the UK’s newest horseracing competition, which made its well-received debut in 2021. The Racing League took to Twitter to share its delight in the William Hill tie-up:

For the 2022 season, over ￡2m ($2.4m) in prize money will be up for grabs over the six-fixture campaign starting at Doncaster Racecourse. The league will see teams of racehorses, jockeys, and trainers go head-to-head. They will compete for points based on their finishing positions in the scheduled 42 races.

Seven teams will compete for the 2022 title. This includes Ireland, London and The South, Scotland, The East, The North, Yorkshire, and Wales and The West.

Sport with appeal

Speaking in a news release, William Hill’s director of media, sponsorship, and UK creative, Liam McKee, said the “innovative and unique concept of Racing League has always appealed” to his brand. He noted the revamped format of the upcoming competition, adding that William Hill was “really excited to be involved” in the 2022 season.

Racing League CEO Jeremy Wray said competition organizers have made a number of changes to the 2022 version based on the “huge amount of feedback” received after last year’s edition. He referenced the 125 trainers on board for the coming season, something he believes will create a compelling competition.

two runners per race to make up a 14-runner field

Each of the seven teams will enter two runners per race to make up a 14-runner field, with managers selecting two jockeys to compete from a roster of seven per team. Besides the top prize, for every race won in the three-year-old-plus category, the owners, trainers, and jockeys get ￡50,000 ($60,061), while races won in the two-year-old category earn them ￡25,000 ($30,031) in prize money.

William Hill’s odds

According to the Racing League press release, William Hill has The East as favorites for the overall title at +250. The UK sportsbook, however, likes Daniel Muscutt, who will ride for London and The South, as the +800 favorite to be crowned top jockey.

Both Sky Sports and ITV Racing will conduct live broadcasts of all Racing League races.