Turnover on World Pool bet types across the 12 races from Randwick, Caulfield and Ascot on Saturday reached a record high for a single day's racing, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Tuesday.
A total of HK$424.1m (around £48m) was staked from over 28 countries, eclipsing the previous record of HK$385.2m (£38m) set when 12 races from the Queensland and Epsom Derby meetings took place under the World Pool banner earlier this year.
Ascot's six races on QIPCO British Champions Day generated HK$200m (£19.75m) of the HK$424.1m. Turnover for the same fixture in 2023 was HK$202.7m (£20.1m), representing a very small decrease.
Michael Fitzsimons, executive director, Wagering Products at the HKJC, said, “Saturday's action certainly got the pulse racing. The big-field Group 1 contests from Randwick, Caulfield and Ascot lined up a perfect day of action for punters across the globe and we're delighted to see turnover hit a new record high.
“It was only World Pool's second ever three-fixture composite card and it was hugely encouraging that the action from Australia and the UK really caught the attention of our global customers, showing the extent of interest in top-class racing across the globe.”
Last week, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced that World Pool contributions to UK and Irish racecourses had surpassed £50 million, while Billy Loughnane went into Saturday's action at Ascot with a healthy lead in the the inaugural UK and Ireland World Pool Jockeys' Championship.
Loughnane ended the day still clear at the top of the leaderboard and chose the Christy Lambe Foundation as his recipient of the £50,000 charity donation.
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