Last year’s leading rider Saffie Osborne, Oisin Murphy and Sean Levey were among the first-choice picks during the jockey draft for Racing League 2023.
A total of 108 jockeys signed up for the draft, with the team managers each making seven selections.
Osborne will once again ride for Wales & The West as she bids to repeat the heroics of last season, when her sensational 6,539/1 three-timer on the closing night dramatically wrestled the title away from London & The South. Team manager Jamie Osborne has kept the faith with his leading lights from 2022, with David Egan and Adam Kirby also retained.
Levey was the go-to rider for London & The South in 2022 and team manager Matt Chapman is looking to him again to make up for last year’s heartbreak. A strong riding unit for London & The South also features Kieran Shoemark, Jason Watson and Rossa Ryan.
Scotland will be able to call upon three-time champion jockey Murphy, with fellow Group 1-winning riders Paul Mulrennan, Hayley Turner and Pat Cosgrave adding depth to Linda Perratt’s team.
Frankie Dettori is relishing his jockey-manager role with The East and his opening pick was Callum Shepherd, followed by 2021’s leading rider Jack Mitchell and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Luke Morris.
Daniel Muscutt heads up Ireland’s roster of jockeys, with team manager Kevin Blake also keen to acquire the services of Ben Curtis and teenage sensation Billy Loughnane – who joins his father Mark in Ireland’s ranks.
Connor Beasley was the number one selection for The North’s team manager Mick Quinn, while Leonna Mayor chose David Allan to lead Yorkshire’s team of riders.
Full team line ups:
Ireland – Kevin Blake (Manager)
Daniel Muscutt
Billy Loughnane
Ben Curtis
Joanna Mason
Dylan Browne McMonagle
Gavin Ryan
Adam Farragher
London & The South – Matt Chapman (Manager)
Sean Levey
Marco Ghiani
Rossa Ryan
Kieran Shoemark
Jason Watson
Nicola Currie
Charlie Bishop
Scotland – Linda Perratt (Manager)
Oisin Murphy
Paul Mulrennan
Hayley Turner
David Probert
Pat Cosgrave
Rowan Scott
Andrew Mullen
The East – Frankie Dettori (Manager)
Frankie Dettori
Callum Shepherd
Jack Mitchell
Luke Morris
Ray Dawson
Laura Pearson
Kaiya Fraser
The North – Mick Quinn (Manager)
Connor Beasley
Cam Hardie
Oisin Orr
Frederick Larson
Harrison Shaw
Paula Muir
Pierre-Louis Jamin
Wales & The West – Jamie Osborne (Manager)
Saffie Osborne
David Egan
Adam Kirby
Ross Coakley
Trevor Whelan
Tom Queally
Rhys Clutterbuck
Yorkshire – Leonna Mayor (Manager)
David Allan
Clifford Lee
PJ McDonald
Tom Eaves
Jonny Peate
Ali Rawlinson
Josephine Gordon
Each team will also have the option of using a Wild Card pick at any time during the competition, enabling them to add an eighth jockey to their squad.
Racing League 2023 fixtures:
July 27 – Yarmouth
August 10 – Chepstow
August 17 – Windsor
August 31 – Newcastle
September 7 – Wolverhampton
September 13 – Southwell