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 organization.
“I am truly excited to be a part of this great opportunity,” said Jackson. “The core values of excellence, teamwork, community, and leadership will help push the program beyond our expectations. I believe through our efforts and determination more opportunities will be opened for the youth of the state of Maryland. We look forward to seeing the success of such a great vision become the reality.”
“Walk a racetrack with Lamar Jackson and you'll immediately understand his capacity to captivate an audience,” said Randall Lane, co-Founder of the NTL. “And it's that intimate connection and adrenaline that aligns so well with the underlying premise of the National Thoroughbred League. Our league exists to both honor the tradition of one of America's oldest spectator sports, but also to embed another level of excitement into the sport so that it engages a broad audience and provides them with an exceptional experience. Lamar Jackson and his family have a passion for Baltimore that is palpable and we're so honored to have them join our NTL family and continue exciting and inspiring the next generation of fans.”
The National Thoroughbred League, seeking to become racing's first team-based professional sports league, creates weekends of food, fashion and fun. The league is expanding from its inaugural six teams in 2023 to 10 teams for the 2024 season.
In addition to Jackson, other NTL partners include Julius Erving, Tanya Tucker, Nelly, Rick Ross, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Moira Forbes.
Thoroughbred owners can nominate their horses to be drafted by one of the 10 NTL teams. Those drafted horses, who will represent the teams during the races, will be eligible to run in these NTL races for the $3-million purse pool.
The league's season kicks off Sunday with the NTL Nashville Cup presented by Sticker Mule, featuring more than $2 million in purses and a $1-million signature race. It will then host the Philadelphia Cup Oct. 19 and the league Championship in Phoenix Dec. 30.
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