Ireland sealed victory in the Racing League on a dramatic final night at Southwell.

Wales & The West went into the last of six fixtures with a two-point lead, but a treble for Ireland on Wednesday night saw the team snatch the crown from the defending champions.

Tosen Wish (6-1) opened Ireland’s account in the 38th race of the William Hill-backed competition, with Danny Sheehy doing the steering on Ado McGuinness’ charge.

Ben Curtis then secured a double aboard the David O’Meara-trained Gulliver and Thunder Moor for George Boughey in the Ireland silks, with Half Nutz and Faster Bee further bolstering their position with seconds on the card.

Ireland went into the final contest with a 48-point advantage, but Wales & The West manager Jamie Osborne opted to play his joker card, which doubled any points won.

Valsad, ridden by Osborne’s daughter Saffie and trained by Harry and Roger Charlton, duly obliged as the 4-1 favourite, but Star Harbour finished fourth for Ireland to give them a hard-fought victory, with seven points splitting the teams after 42 races.

Ireland team manager Kevin Blake was delighted to secure top honours, with his sides having previously failed to figure in the shake up, although he admitted he felt victory was unlikely three meetings in.

He said: “I think we were down 120 points at the halfway mark and two out of the first three weeks didn’t go well, but in fairness to the lads, they really started to get behind us.

“I just can’t believe it, but it is set up to be competitive and I genuinely feel for Jamie because he really thinks about this and is a genuinely one of the really good managers. It’s sweet to beat one of the good fellas.

“You could be Sir Alex Ferguson, but you are going to finish last if you don’t have trainers entering horses and running them, so we just lacked that in the first two years.

“Those first two years were hard, I’m competitive and it’s not easy turning up every week and getting a hiding, so this has turned out particularly sweet.

“I’m a difficult fella to get excited, but I’ve been jibby about this for the last couple of weeks and I’ve put a lot of hours into it.”

Jim Goldie and Paul Mulrennan made sure Scotland finished the competition in style, recording a double with Yaaser (5-1) and Sir Chauvelin (22-1).

Mulrennan said: “This is a really good competition and we’re racing around for really good money and every race is ultra-competitive. You can see the crowd that is here tonight, everyone is enjoying it.”

The Richard Hannon-trained Commander Crouch landed the opening contest for the London & The South team, with Sean Levey steering the 5-1 shot to a neck success.

“It was impressive, but I thought he could have done a little bit better,” said Levey, with the winning team having deployed a joker card to good effect.

“He’s still inexperienced and through greenness he hung all the way up the straight there and I was touch or go whether he was going to give it away, but he kept his head in-front.

“We were happy to come here today because albeit we had good weather last week, the ground has been coming up all ways. At the moment it is coming up more soft when he’s wanting it good and this is the first time he has got a consistent surface.

“We’re good with two-year-olds and hopefully he will keep improving”

Saffie Osborne was once again crowned queen of the Racing League, successfully defending the leading rider award she won 12 months ago.

The 21-year-old stole the show on the final night of action in 2022, registering a phenomenal Newcastle treble as her father Jamie’s West & The Wales region snatched the top spot and Osborne stormed to the top of the jockeys’ standings.

However, things have been much more straightforward this time around and the ante-post favourite’s charge to the title began in the very first race of the competition as she lit up the opening night at Yarmouth with a fabulous three-timer.

She was on the mark in the final race of the competition aboard Valsad at Southwell, with her total of 342 points seeing her finish 121 points clear of her nearest pursuer Dylan Browne McMonagle to once again bag the £20,000 prize.

“It’s been a good Racing League for me this year, I’ve been lucky to get some good rides,” said the jockey.

“Dad has done a phenomenal job of organising everyone and keeping everyone enthused and on top of that keeping everyone in the team happy.

“Obviously you have a lot of trainers who want to run their horses and getting to the last night and still having everyone relatively happy about the whole thing is a hard task, but he’s done a brilliant job of it.

“Of course I’m also grateful for all the owners who put their horses in and they are obviously not in their own colours.”

Osborne has been at the top of the charts since the very first race and it has been very much one-way traffic in the standings ever since and the momentum gained on that first week at Yarmouth is something she has fed off throughout the contest.

“I’ve been lucky that it came round at the right time. I made a good start at Yarmouth and have had a good run since then,” Osborne added.

“I think the two years before I had an awful first evening, so it was great to get a treble on the first evening and the ball has kept rolling really.

“It’s been brilliant and gets a lot of coverage and it’s been great for me to ride for other trainers.”

This year’s Racing League is set for a fascinating conclusion after Wales & The West just about maintained top spot from Ireland.

Jamie Osborne’s defending champions have been blazing a trail throughout, but the Kevin Blake-managed Irish outfit enjoyed a good night at Newcastle last week and that was the case again at Wolverhampton on Thursday, with just the finale at Southwell on Wednesday to come.

Wales & The West led by 568 points to 496 heading into the fifth week at Dunstall Park, but by the end of play that was down to just two points (666 to 664).

After solid placed efforts in the opening few races, Ireland hit the jackpot with the Billy Loughnane-ridden, George Boughey-trained Koy Koy in race four – a win that also put crack apprentice Loughnane on 94 career winners, just one away from losing his claim.

Race five looked like going to Ireland, too, as Naxos and Dylan Browne McMonagle went for home, only to be swamped by Freddy Larson aboard Rebecca Menzies’ Painters Palette for Mick Quinn’s North team.

Even better for Quinn was that he played a joker, one that rewarded his squad with 70 points from the race.

Blake’s confidence seemed to be riding high for race six, as he too played a joker but the well-fancied 9-4 favourite Belgoprince and Loughnane had to settle for fourth place, one in front of another Irish runner, Percy Jones.

But while the points were still doubled for a positive Irish outcome that took them to the summit, Blake did admit to being disappointed the joker did not pay a better dividend, especially as he has no more left to play.

“We had a big chance to stick a nail in Osborne this evening, I feel we’ve only done half a job. When you play a joker you want better than that, so I’m disappointed,” he told Sky Sports Racing.

“Osborne with his two jokers will be tough next week, I don’t think we’ll be much weaker next week – I’ve got a good feeling about next week, I’ve got a bunch of trainers ringing and wanting spots which is exactly what you want.

“If Osborne nails his two jokers, we’re all in trouble, but if he scuffs one…”

The feature event of the night was the concluding William Hill Pick Your Places Racing League Race 35 Handicap, carrying £100,000 in prize-money and which produced success for the Scotland team, with Linda Perratt playing a joker and being rewarded by victory for George Baker’s Get It, ridden by Paul Mulrennan.

It also proved a critical race in the standings, as placed horses for Wales & The West saw them just about back on top, to add to the feeling of what might have been for Blake.

Notable also on a night where Saffie Osborne was not in action in order to be able to take a full book of rides for her father’s team at Southwell, was that McMonagle seized the opportunity to eat into her advantage at the top of the jockeys’ standings.

“I didn’t think I was as close to Saffie as that, I’m creeping up quite nicely,” he said.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to come over next week, but I’ll take it as it comes.”

Away from the Racing League, McMonagle is looking forward to a big weekend at the Irish Champions Festival, including Joseph O’Brien’s Atlantic Coast in Saturday’s KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown.

He added: “He’s a lovely colt, he couldn’t really have pleased us more the first day at the Curragh. Also our two-year-olds usually progress from their first runs so what he showed us on his debut was really special. We’ll be confident of a good run, but it’s obviously competitive racing so fingers crossed.”

Saffie Osborne was once again on the Racing League scoresheet at Windsor, as Wales & The West continue to top the charts in the team competition.

Jamie Osborne’s team headed into the night with a 77-point advantage and remain the ones to beat at the halfway stage of the six-week event following a double on week three that left them on 471 points.

Rhys Clutterbuck steered Clive Cox’s Just Bring It (9-1) to victory in the William Hill sponsored one-mile handicap, before last year’s Racing League top jockey made her customary Thursday night trip to the the winner’s enclosure when Tony Carroll’s 9-4 favourite Gallant Lion ran out a gutsy winner of the penultimate race of the evening.

“He’s got loads of ability and I was was really happy with him early on, I got some nice cover from Jack Mitchell and he settled nicely,” Osborne told Sky Sports Racing.

“When Jack went to make the running, he was left without cover and he just latched on a little bit and there was no point arguing with him, he’s obviously got a lot of ability and a high cruising speed and once I let him stride on he did everything within himself. I was able to get a nice breather into him and he saw it out well.

“He’s obviously got tons of ability and he is still lightly raced and learning and you’d like to think there is more to come.”

The most valuable event on the card went the way of Richard Fahey for the second week in a row as Spirit Dancer scooped the £51,540 first prize in the hands of Oisin Orr.

The 9-2 winner was representing the North and was the second half of a double on the night for Fahey and Orr who also enjoyed success with Show Me Show Me (10-1) in the five-furlong handicap.

“We love £100,000 races,” said team manager Mick Quinn.

“We won the £100,000 pot last week at Chepstow and we’ve won it again this week.

“The owners wanted to come here, Richard wanted to come here and it’s paid off.”

Earlier on, Zoulu Chief (28-1) showed who was boss to land a decisive win in the nursery handicap which kicked off proceedings, providing Scotland with a welcome victory in their quest to climb off the bottom of the table.

London and The South (in second on 378 points) were on the scoresheet on home turf when Tom Ward’s 9-2 joint-favourite Capote’s Dream led home a one-two for the region in the six-furlong handicap, with an all-Irish finish to the three-year-olds only one-mile event as Richard Spencer’s Pjanoo (22-1) held off 100-30 favourite Hat Toss.

It was third-placed Ireland’s second win of the competition and team manager Kevin Blake was delighted to see winning Irish jockey Danny Sheehy make his trip to Windsor worthwhile.

He said: “I’m particularly happy for Danny. He hit the crossbar at Chepstow last week, so for him to now get a winner, I’m particularly happy.

“He’s a very good rider and so strong for a light fella and a natural lightweight, so it’s been fantastic to get him over here and put him in the spotlight and who knows what could come from it.”

Saffie Osborne’s love affair with the Racing League looks set to continue as she began this season’s competition with a fantastic opening night treble.

The 21-year-old was one of the stars of last year’s six-week event, scooping top honours thanks to an inspired three-timer at Newcastle on the final night of action and she picked up where she left off as the 2023 edition kicked off at Yarmouth.

Osborne’s efforts ensured that defending champions Wales and The West – managed by her father Jamie Osborne – ended the night in top spot holding a narrow 11-point advantage over Frankie Dettori’s team, The East.

Osborne’s evening started with a bang as although slightly reluctant to enter the stalls, Rod Millman’s Chinese Knot (11-2) showed plenty of guts to hold off Michael Dods’ Midnight Lir at the business end of the opening nursery.

“We’ve started the way we finished last year,” Jamie Osborne told Sky Sports Racing.

“I’ve got a great team of trainers and unlike some, mine are right behind this and behind their leader.”

Wales and The West quickly extended their advantage at the top of the table when winning race two with Ed Walker’s Dark Trooper (12-1), before The East’s player-manager Dettori was narrowly denied a winner with his first ride of the night aboard Shahbaz as the one-mile handicap went to Dean Ivory’s Achillea (9-2).

However, The East did not have to wait long to get on the scoreboard on home soil as George Margarson’s Farhh To Shy (100-30 joint-favourite) proved superior in the hands of Callum Shepherd in race four and the East were also on the scoresheet when Dettori closed the show in style with a fantastic front-running ride aboard Cumulonimbus (11-2), leading home a one-two for his region in the concluding £100,000 handicap.

Dettori said: “It’s great to win the big race of the day, it’s good for the team and good for (trainer) Charlie Fellowes. We were first and second so that’s good.

“It’s the third year of this so I hope it takes off.”

Despite Dettori’s heroics, the night belonged to Osborne who registered her second winner of the night aboard Michael Bell’s Stone Circle (17-2) in the five-furlong sprint, before bringing up the three-timer aboard Milton Harris’ Alnilam.

She needed every yard of the one-mile-six-furlong trip to hunt down fellow Wales and The West runner Haliphon, but Osborne had a willing partner in the 9-4 favourite who stuck his head down bravely for a half-length win.

She said: “He’s a lovely horse and hopefully he will have a nice future.

“He’s still quite big and ran around a little late on, but he has a willing attitude and did everything right eventually.”

Charlie Fellowes is thrilled to have secured the services of Frankie Dettori to ride both of his two runners on the opening night of the 2023 Racing League at Yarmouth.

Having played a key role in Wales and The West’s victory last year, Dettori has switched sides for the third instalment of the team competition to become player-manager for the East.

Among the trainers able to call upon the Italian is Newmarket-based Fellowes, who is keen to make the most of a rare opportunity.

He said: “Frankie doesn’t ride for me very much, not through choice because I’m a huge fan.

“I think he’ll really suit both horses. They’re two nice, kind individuals who are not going to give Frankie a heart attack in his old age!”

The trainer and rider first team up on Thursday with Shahbaz, who is fitted with a visor for the first time in race three over a mile.

“Shahbaz, I felt, ran very lethargically when third at Ayr last time. He was slow out of the gates and I just didn’t like the way he raced,” Fellowes added.

“A few people commented that he wants further, but I really don’t believe he does. Every time we’ve tried him over 10 furlongs, in my opinion, he’s not got home.

“I really wanted to give him another try over a mile on a straight track, which is why we’ve gone to Yarmouth and any rain is a plus.

“I’ve put a set of visors on him, just to sharpen him up and hopefully help him travel a little bit kinder.

“I’m sure he’s ahead of his mark of 87 and I would just like to see a little more enthusiasm than we saw last time.”

The Bedford House handler has high hopes for Cumulonimbus, who bids to continue his profitable campaign in the seventh and most valuable race on the card, with a total prize fund of £100,000 up for grabs.

The four-year-old has already won at Newmarket and Haydock this season and was last seen finishing third in the Old Newton Cup at the latter venue just under three weeks ago.

Fellowes said: “The other horse is having a fantastic year and is a real pleasure to train.

“He enjoys his racing and I have no problem with a drop to 10 furlongs on a big, galloping track like Yarmouth and with him I don’t really mind what happens weather-wise as he goes on any ground.

“I suppose a bit of rain would make it more of a stamina test, but he’s very versatile, he’s got a fantastic way of going and I think he’ll run a big race on a track where he’s won before.

“It’s an unbelievable pot and I hope he can go and put in a big performance.”

Frankie Dettori is ready for the unpredictable nature of the Racing League as he prepares to become the competition’s first ever player-manager.

The Italian represented the victorious Wales and The West side last season, riding winners to the delight of the crowd at both Lingfield and Newcastle, but is set for a new role in 2023 as he makes the switch to The East squad ahead of the multi-team event returning at Yarmouth on Thursday.

Not only will Dettori be sporting the yellow silks of The East as one of its team of jockeys, the 52-year-old has also taken on the challenge of managing the region as he bids to get his hands on the Racing League trophy for the second year in a row.

“Obviously being manager is a big responsibility,” said Dettori.

“For sure I will be at the first and last one and even though I’m probably not going to ride at all of them, I still have the responsibility of being a manager and doing the best for my team.

“I managed to win it last year and I’m really excited to go out there and sort of defend my title.

“I enjoyed it last year, there was a good vibe. My team didn’t have the best of starts, but as the competition went on, the momentum was on our side and Saffie (Osborne) rode a treble on the last day which sealed it for us.”

Dettori will be looking to immediately make his mark on The East’s home soil when the competition visits Yarmouth for the first time and he believes both the competitive nature and unknown quantities of the six-week event is what makes it so exciting for both the participants and those watching on.

He added: “All of my team members are going to be trying to win, it’s great to be representing the East side of the country coming from Newmarket and the best thing about Racing League is it is very unpredictable.

“I can’t really remember, but I think three teams came into the last week close on points and it was good and I enjoyed it.

“You don’t know what horses you are going to land with and what you might end up riding. Last year a lot of the races were tightly bunched, most of the races had close finishes and were very competitive. It will give everyone a chance and I think people really liked it last year.

“It’s year three now and people can tune in on a Thursday night with something they can follow.”