New horse-racing league includes leading owners, 3 tracks

Greg Maffei, former CEO of Liberty Media, and Skylark founder Danny Epstien are launching the Horse Racing League, a new team-based Thoroughbred racing league debuting in February 2027.

The league will debut at Santa Anita in Los Angeles and pick up at Miami’s Gulfstream Park before the season finale at Keeneland in Lexington. The HRL is positioned to transform horse racing into a season-long team sport where celebrity and brand-owned stables travel across key U.S. markets, competing for points toward a championship title.

Thoroughbred racing draws blockbuster viewership around marquee moments such as the Kentucky Derby, which garnered a record-breaking 24 million viewers in 2026. The HRL is designed to sustain and grow that audience by converting casual spectators — those who tune in for a few big-name races each year — into engaged, year-round fans of the sport while adding a fresh dimension for longtime racing enthusiasts.

By combining elevated race-day experiences, premium hospitality, always-on storytelling, celebrity and brand-owned teams, approachable wagering formats and partnerships with the world’s most respected and successful Thoroughbred organizations, the HRL aims to attract not only Thoroughbred racing’s global fanbase of 36 million to 48 million, but also the adjacent 200 million-attendee live events market and sports fans more broadly.

“Formula 1 demonstrated what can happen when you bring fans to a historic sport in a modern way through storytelling and social media. Horse racing has all the thrilling elements: exciting competition, heritage, drama, glamor and star power,” said Greg Maffei, CEO of BANN Ventures and co-founder of the HRL. “The HRL brings the excitement of teams to follow, dramatic rivalries, high-stakes betting, and a championship that builds race by race.”

Upon launch, the HRL will have 10 teams competing in a points-driven, season-long championship across three cities: Los Angeles, Miami, and Lexington. The league is in discussions to expand to three additional cities by 2029. Points are awarded based on finishing position in each race and accumulate throughout the season to determine the winning team. With a 10-horse field for every race and more than $10 million in purses and end-of-season prizes on the line each year, the HRL offers the structure to deliver consistent, high-stakes horse racing competition that fans can engage with all year long.

“Horse racing already commands one of the largest single-day audiences in American sports,” said horse owner Vinnie Viola, founder of Virtu Financial and owner of the NHL’s Florida Panthers. “Investing in a team-based concept designed to carry that momentum across a full season is what makes the HRL so exciting for us.”

“This is a rare opportunity to be a part of something from the ground up in a sport that I am incredibly passionate about,” said Gary Barber, founder of Spyglass Media Group.

Reflecting the same mix of heritage and cultural relevance that defined Maffei’s transformation of Formula 1, the HRL's slate of initial three founding teams brings together the most accomplished names in horse racing with prominent figures across sports and entertainment to expand the sport’s audience.

• Godolphin, the world’s largest racing operation with more than 6,800 wins across 14 countries, six straight Eclipse Awards as North America's top owner, five consecutive Eclipse Awards as North America’s top breeder, and owner of 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty, winner of the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Travers.
• WinStar, one of the United States’ elite breeding and racing operations, winner of the 2018 Triple Crown with Justify, and home to leading stallions Constitution and Life is Good.
• Gary Barber, Vinnie Viola and Chris Pucillo, a trio who have been in the industry for decades and have six Breeders Cup wins, two Kentucky Derby wins, a Preakness Stakes, a Belmont Stakes, and three Queens/Kings Plate wins between them.

The league’s full slate of teams will be announced in the coming months.

The HRL will host a live draft event in November where each team will select eight horses to form their rosters. The draft is designed to create competitive parity across the league while delivering a marquee offseason moment for fans, media and partners.

Maffei, who has been chair of Live Nation Entertainment, SiriusXM and Atlanta Braves Holdings, led Liberty Media’s acquisition of Formula 1 and oversaw the motorsport’s transformation into one of the world's most valuable and culturally relevant sports properties. The HRL will apply a similar playbook to American horse racing in partnership with Epstien, the founder of Skylark, an incubation and investment firm focused on innovative consumer brands, sports and entertainment.

“We’re excited to see a new concept come to life in our sport, and we know this is the right leadership group to make it a success,” said Everett Dobson, chair of The Jockey Club. “We have a common goal to attract new fans and give longtime enthusiasts more exciting experiences. It's a win for everyone in the industry, from the tracks to the horsemen who make race day happen."

The HRL’s inaugural season kicks off in February. Additional details on the schedule, broadcast partners, and teams will be announced in the months ahead.