ITV will host a brand new Sunday evening racing slot – to see if punters and racegoers lap it up.
Some £600,000 will be up for grabs at Musselburgh, Haydock and Sandown when the Sunday Series launches on July 25.
The initiative marks the first time ever that evening racing will be shown on a Sunday in Britain.
The meetings will be made up of seven races with all the action shown on ITV4, home of The Opening Show on Saturday mornings.
Racing will start at 3.45pm until 7pm with 25 minutes between races giving jockeys and punters a quick turnaround.
Sky Bet is backing the pilot, which has also been given the green light by the British Horseracing Authority.
Steve Birch, Sky Bet CEO, said: “Sky Bet are excited to support the racing industry in this new venture showcasing high quality racing.
“We want to work more closely with the racing industry to grow this great sport, and this collaboration is a step in the right direction.”
Musselburgh will host on July 25, Haydock on August 8 and Sandown on August 22.
Meanwhile, News UK and SE were recently announced as partners of the exciting Racing League.
Starting in July and lasting six weeks, 12 teams with top jockeys including the likes of Frankie Dettori and Hollie Doyle will compete for £50,000 in each race.
Judged on a points-based scoring system, four racecourses will host the six race nights through the summer months.
SE 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.
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 Doyle, Dettori and Oisin Murphy, and trainers, including John Gosden, Andrew Balding and Richard Fahey.
What’s more, SE’s acclaimed fantasy game specialist, Dream Team, will partner with Racing League, giving both horse racing 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.”
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to SE. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
