Why It’s Right To Replace Racing League With New Initiative Paddy Flood has suggested replacing the Racing League with the new Friday Night Live series will attract “good trainers and better horses”. Speaking on irishracing.com’s Irish Angle show this week, the former jockey admitted he was never a fan of the Racing League as it was trying to turn the sport into a soccer competition. The Racing Post reported this week that the Racing League is set to be dropped but Arena Racing Company and ITV will join forces on a new Friday night series. Broadcast live on terrestrial television, the new series will be hosted at Newcastle, Wolverhampton and Southwell in the first three months of 2026 and each seven-race meeting will have more than £200,000 in prize-money. It has been created in conjunction with Invades who work to bring students to racedays across the UK and the hope is that the initiative will bring in a younger audience. Flood’s Verdict Asked whether he was ever a fan of the Racing League, Paddy Flood said: “No, not from day one. I didn’t like it, never liked it. “They got every Tom, Dick and Harry to try and promote it, and it just didn’t work. A lot of people knew from the start it wasn’t working. Nothing changed. So look, it’s eventually gone. “Friday night is prime night, you know, so give it a run and see what happens. The prize money is a lot, £200,000 a night. That should draw good trainers or better horses into it. “But the Racing League thingâ€Â¦ Irish teams, people involved that many wouldn’t have heard of. It just wasn’t right. Horse racing isn’t a soccer competition. “It should stand on its own, and creating a league like that didn’t do anything for me or for the sport. “So fair play to them for changing it and trying something else. Hopefully it works.” Trying Something New To Be Commended Racing journalist Johnny Ward agreed with Flood’s verdict on the Racing League but admitted he admired a new approach. “I’m not a massive fan of the Racing League concept either,” he said. “I think it generally doesn’t work. It feels contrived, and once something feels contrived, it’s hard for it to ever feel like anything other than a fad. “I wouldn’t knock them for trying it. British racing, for all its insecurities, does try things. “For ITV to attract people to watch racing on a Friday night isn’t straightforward. It’s hard enough to get people to watch TV at all now. 18-25-year-olds are glued to their phones. Racing isn’t an easy sell—to TV viewers or to broadcasters. “We have Racing TV as a subscription channel, but RTÉ’s viewing figures wouldn’t be massive either. Racing just isn’t the easiest sell at the moment. “I’m not a fan of the Racing League concept; it wouldn’t do anything for me. “But I still think racing has a lot going for it in terms of selling itself but probably more through social media and through really good documentaries that showcase the sport. We still have an incredible sport here. “Look at Final Demand jumping on Sunday, or good horses in action — it's incredible to watch. We can sell amazing moments, like in football on Sunday. But terrestrial TV is a struggle for me.” Watch The Irish Angle In Full Or Listen On Spotify
