National Thoroughbred League

St. Louis native and multi-diamond, award winning artist Nelly has taken a significant ownership role in a National Thoroughbred League (NTL) team that will move to St. Louis from its original Seattle base, the group announced Monday. Renamed as the "Nellies" in honor of its newest owner, the team is an expansion of the rapper's involvement after having been an early investor in the venture. Nelly will also serve as host of the NTL's Nelly Cup at Fairmount Park Saturday, July 19 for the track's centennial celebration. There will be...

A Father's Day event hosted by The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) at Parx drew over 6000 fans, an NTL record, and generating a $1.55 million handle—a 65% increase over last year's Father's Day card at Parx, according to a NTL release Wednesday. The event was hosted by the Philadelphia Stallions, which is co-owned by retired basketball star Julius "Dr. J" Erving. The California Shamrocks won the Philadelphia Cup with the top four teams finishing within 2 points of each other. The New York Knights remain in first place overall at...

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) season kicked off at Pimlico with the New York Knights claiming the Pimlico Cup Saturday afternoon. The Knights won the first heat of the three-race competition when Addy's Laddy TNT (Golden Lad) won the sixth race over Remembering Wilbur (Golden Lad), who was competing for Team Nashville Dreams. Minister for Magic (Malibu Moon), part of the Phoenix Mustangs roster, finished third. The Dream would turn the tables in the seventh race when King's River (Irish War Cry) rallied late to win with the Knights finishing...

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL), which is looking to bring the team concept to horse racing, has had more than its fair share of growing pains since it started in 2023. The series starts up again on May 10 at Pimlico and league organizers are confident the 2025 version of the NTL will be the biggest and most successful so far. "We definitely have momentum on our side and we're offering good purses," said NTL co-founder Randall Lane. "It's a win-win. The horses will be  running for good purses and...

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) has revealed the schedule for the 2025 season with races throughout the summer including Preakness Week festivities and during the lucrative Kentucky Downs meet, the group announced Monday morning. The four dates are May 10 at Pimlico for 'The Baltimore Cup'; June 15 at Parx for 'The Philadelphia Cup'; July 19 at Fairmont Park for 'The St. Louis Cup'; and Aug. 31 at Kentucky Downs for 'The Nashville Cup'. Dozens of Thoroughbreds have been nominated to compete for the 10 NTL teams across the year,...

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) and Leaf Trading Cards have struck a deal for an exclusive license, which will create a range of the first-ever horse racing trading cards next spring, according to a press release from the league on Wednesday. Through the partnership, the cards will depict horses, jockeys, owners and their uniform swatches just like collectibles do in other sports. "We are excited to partner with the National Thoroughbred League," said CJ Breen, director of marketing and licensing at Leaf Trading Cards. "This exclusive partnership allows us to...

The Philadelphia Cup, the second event in a three-part National Thoroughbred League NTL Cup series, attracted a crowd of 4,260 to Parx Racing--doubling original estimates--and wagering of $1.6 million, 50% higher than originally forecast. Julius 'Dr. J.' Erving is a partner of the league and owner of its Philadelphia Stallions and was on hand for an exclusive meet-and-greet with more than a dozen Philadelphia sports legends. "This past weekend epitomizes why we formed the National Thoroughbred League," said Randall Lane, co-founder of the NTL. "Many of us grew up mesmerized...

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL), a new series of races meant to bring the team concept to the sport and to attract new fans, will put on its second 2024 event Saturday at Parx. It is called Oktober-Fast and is hosted by NBA Hall of Famer and Philadelphia icon Julius (Dr. J) Erving. When the NTL was in the planning stages last year the focus was on purchasing horses and then having them divvied up between the teams. There are currently 10 teams in the league and they would own...

After an objection and lengthy look by the stewards, it was 2-year-old colt Chasing Liberty (Constitution--Peaceful, Declaration of War) who was awarded the top prize when Under Whose Radar (Violence) was disqualified for impeding his progress late in the race and placed second in the $1 million National Thoroughbred League Juvenile Sprint at Kentucky Downs on Sunday. Under Whose Radar led out of the gate and continued to make the pace into the lane. As favorite Black Forza (Complexity) tried to overcome a tough beginning, Chasing Liberty flashed his speed...

Four new teams have been added to the National Thoroughbred League for the 2024 season: the Maryland Colts, the Miami Seahorses, the Phoenix Mustangs and the San Francisco Unicorns. Two-time National Football League MVP and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is a lead owner in the Maryland Colts. Jackson will also launch a program to expose less-privileged children to Maryland's historic racing industry, including free tickets to the NTL Baltimore Cup and an apprentice program to give promising teenagers job training under trainer Chad Brown, according to a release from...

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) will begin its second season with a stop at Kentucky Downs on Sunday, Sept. 1, the track said in a Thursday release. Launched last year, the NTL tour adds a competitive component for its teams based on the outcome of races. At Kentucky Downs, that will involve a five-race sequence culminating in the $500,000 National Thoroughbred League Handicap. There are no nomination, entry or starter fees for the scheduled handicap, though horses must be nominated by Aug. 19, with declarations to be made by Aug....

The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) added several key investors to join their roster of team owners, including NBA legend Julius Erving (Philadelphia Stallions) and country music's Tanya Tucker (Nashville Dreams), as the league expands from six franchises to ten ahead of its second season, the operation said in a release on Thursday. This time around the league will boast almost $3 million in prize purses, up from less than $1 million last year. Erving and Tucker join NTL's list of partners, including Nelly, Rick Ross, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Moira Forbes,...