Jockey draft team managers revealed for Racing League 2023

Jockey team managers are masterful tacticians who meticulously handpick their jockey squads and navigate a delicate balance of experience, skill, and potential.

Jockey managers have always been strategic visionaries, and the 2023 Racing League will be no different.

Like the NFL spreads offered by bookmakers, successfully wagering on horse racing involves knowing details about the team managers, jockeys, and horses.

So, for the 2023 Racing League, out of the 108 jockeys that signed up for the draft, only seven were picked for the seven teams in the competition, bringing it to 49 jockeys.

The boggling question now is which team will emerge victorious at the end of the 2023 Racing League competition to claim the grand prize of over £2 million?

Join us as we delve into details about seven teams, particularly their team managers.

Team managers for the Racing League 2023

The 2023 Racing League consists of seven teams with seven managers. Most team managers remain the same from last season, and they have several trainers to help.

Below is a list of the team managers and an insight into their jockey draft picks.

1. Kelvin Blake - Ireland

Kelvin Blake, the team manager for Ireland, is a well-known horse racing pundit. Blake has also worked as a broadcaster at Sky Sports Racing and ITV Racing and has regularly written columns for Betfair.

Aside from his reputation on national and international TV, Blake is a reputable breeder famous for his association with Ventura Tormenta.

Blake has a broad range of industry knowledge, considering his choice of Daniel Muscutt to head the Ireland roster of jockeys.

Also, Blake acquired the services of Ben Curtis and teenager Billy Loughnane.

2. Matt Chapman - London & The South

London & The South is a competitive team in the Racing League competition, with Matt Chapman as their team manager.

Chapman is a lead presenter for Sky Sports and ITV Racing. He is also a journalist for Sun Racing.

With his extensive racing knowledge to manage the team, the London & The South are strategically positioned to win this year.

Levey was the go-to rider Levey in the 2022 competition, and Chapman is looking at recruiting him again.

Other strong London & The South units include Rossa Ryan and Jason Watson.

3. Linda Perratt - Scotland

Team manager for Scotland Linda Perratt has a strong team of handlers to support her, including Hughie Morrison, David Menusier, and Andrew Balding.

Perratt is an exceptional trainer and strategist that knows the right man for the job. She signed three-time champion jockey Murphy alongside fellow Group 1 winning riders Pat Cosgrave, Hayley Turner, and Paul Mulrennan, who all added depth to the team.

4. Frankie Dettori - The East

Replacing Rupert Bell as manager of The East in 2023 is Frankie Dettori. Dettori rode in the red of Wales & The West in 2022.

But Dettori parted ways with his manager of 30 years, Peter Burrell, to join allegiance to The East, making him the first jockey turned manager in his final season in the saddle.

Dettori's first pick for The East was Callum Shepherd, followed by 2021 Racing League champion jockey Jack Mitchell to join him.

Alongside the champion are other exceptional riders like Ray Dawson, Luke Morris, and Laura Pearson.

5. Mick Quinn - The North

Team manager for The North Mike Quinn is a former professional footballer, presenter on talkSPORT, and trainer.

As a player, he played center forward from 1979 until 1996. He most notably played in the Premier League for Coventry City.

Later in his career, he left the Greek club in February 1996 and retired from playing professionally. With his experience as a player and knowledge of horse riding, Quinn's first selection for The North was Connor Beasley.

Other able jockeys he signed to the team include the likes of Cam Hardie and Oisin Orr, amongst others.

6. Jamie Osborne - Wales & The West

Champions of the 2022 Racing League competition, Wales & The West, was led by Jamie Osborne. This year, Osborne, a former professional jockey, plans to lead the team to victory again.

Osborne's first pick for the jockey draft was lead rider Saffie Osborne. Saffie plans to repeat her heroic and sensational timer from last year's performance that took the title away from London & The South in this year's race.

Osborne also puts his faith in other leading lights from last year's race, like Adam Kirby and David Egan.

7. Leonna Mayor - Yorkshire

The team manager for Yorkshire Leonna Mayor is also a former professional jockey and is now a leading presenter for Sky Sports and ITV Racing.

Mayor has immense knowledge about horse racing as she drafted the services of David Allan to lead the Yorkshire team.

Also, she enlisted the services of Clifford Lee, Tom Eaves, and PJ McDonald, amongst others, to help bring the title home.

Conclusion

In summary, the 2023 Racing League is spectacular. Each team has a total of seven jockeys and also the option to use Wild Card pick anytime during the race.

This option allows a team to pick an eight jockey for their squad, which can make all the difference in the race.

Fixtures for the races have been set to take place in six locations: Southwell, Wolverhampton, Newcastle, Windsor, Chepstow, and Yarmouth.

So, if you want to see the races, live or on TV, make arrangements early, as the league will officially kick off on July 27th in Yarmouth.