A topic that has often divided opinion amongst racing fans has been the Racing League.

We’ve just come to the end of this season’s competition, which showed many of the glaringly obvious flaws it has, appearing to be on its last legs.

Back at the beginning of 2021, the Racing League split opinions. Some were for it because they could see new opportunities both for marketing and for those in the sport to make money.

However, now we’re seemingly at a different split.

Those who are paid to be a part of the Racing League still seemingly believe in it or tell us they do, at least, while the other side is made up of everyone else.

Fewer and fewer voices are sticking up for the Racing League, and almost all of them that do are connected to it or paid by it in some way.

Could all of this lead to the end of the Racing League, either altogether or, if not, certainly as we currently know it?

Team Ireland Needs to Leave if Racing League Stays

There are many faults with the Racing League. I’d be here all day explaining them, but the biggest for me this season has been the farcical approach to Team Ireland.

Firstly, they had 49 trainers as part of their team, compare that with just 13 for Scotland. The huge number means that no one was truly invested in it and didn’t have to provide regular runners, whereas those in Scotland did. They have been committed from the very start of this.

Next comes a fact that is even more bizarre, and when I first saw it, I was completely blown away. 41 of the Irish team trainers are from Ireland, but another eight are actually based in the UK.

Yorkshire-based David O’Meara, for example, doesn’t take part for Team Yorkshire. Instead, he does for Team Ireland. Make that make sense.

Each team is supposed to put forward 14 runners per week. Of course, travel issues, non-runners, and other problems can crop up, and we expect that.

But, for example, on week 3 (August 8), Ireland put forward 13 runners, before non-runners affected their number. Forty-nine trainers and they couldn’t give the full amount.

Just three of those were trained in Ireland, the other ten all came from UK-based trainers in the Irish team.

A week later, week four (August 15), it was even worse. Not one Irish trained runner came across to the meeting at Windsor, and Team Ireland put up just seven runners, all of which were trained by their UK-based trainers.

Team Ireland has become a hindrance to the Racing League, and if the competition is to continue, then they have to be either removed or replace because right now, they’re making the competition look even more amateur than before.

Can Racing Ever Be a Team Sport?

The 2024 Racing League was won by Team Wales & The West, with Saffie Osbourne winning the top jockey award.

But there was no real sense of togetherness and celebration amongst the team. Instead, just like with other racing events, it’s the individuals who take all the credit and rewards, trainers, jockeys and owners.

The Racing League is not the first time racing has tried to be a team sport, with the Shergar Cup at Ascot being in the calendar for many years now.

That’s probably only survived because of the high-quality horses on show, the fact it’s one day a year, and we have jockeys from all over the world coming to ride.

None of that comes with the Racing League.

It’s too long at six weeks, the trainers and jockeys are those we regularly see, and the venues are racetracks that arguably already have too much racing.

That’s before we talk about situations such as those for Ireland above, failing to provide runners and having weeks when only their UK based trainers send horses.

Would you ever consider yourself to be a supporter of a racing team? I don’t think I would.

Racing isn’t a team sport, and we shouldn’t try to change that. Instead, focus on the things that make racing unique, highlight the individuals, explain the back stories, and be good at what we do best.

Stories can be made without the need for a new competition. Over the years, we’ve seen many horses bought for bargain prices and shoot to fame, something that is quite unique to racing.

To get new people into racing, rather than trying to be something that racing isn’t, it should just shout louder about the good things that happen.

Highlight the stars, equine and human, showcase the stories about money and feeling, let team sports do their thing, and let racing do its thing.