The World Pool UK & Ireland Jockeys' Championship, a brand new £50,000 initiative, is being launched as World Pool makes its UK seasonal bow at Newmarket Racecourse on Saturday, May 4.
The initiative will see jockeys compete to accumulate points across World Pool fixtures in the UK and Ireland. For the winning jockey of every World Pool race in the UK and Ireland, points will be awarded based on the World Pool win dividend. The point system is designed to offer a level playing field for all jockeys.
Beginning with the G1 Qipco 2,000 Guineas, the competition will conclude on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday, October 19, with the winner receiving £50,000 to be donated to a charity of their choice.
The World Pool Moment of the Year will also be awarded again in 2024, covering all full World Pool meetings. Stable staff will have the opportunity to win cash prizes, as well as a VIP trip to Hong Kong for four people in 2025 to the overall winner. One World Pool Moment of the Day will be selected at each full World Pool meeting, with the winning groom receiving HK$40,000 (£4,000 in the UK and €4,000 in Ireland).
World Pool, the largest globally commingled horse racing pools, was created and is powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). In January, it was announced that nine new race days had been added to the World Pool calendar in the first six months of 2024, including the Newmarket fixture on Sunday, May 5 which features the G1 Qipco 1,000 Guineas. The other additions to the schedule include the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, both run at the Curragh on Sunday, May 26.
Michael Fitzsimons, executive director, Wagering Products, at the HKJC, said, “It's fantastic to be returning to the UK and Ireland with an extended World Pool fixture list this year now featuring the English and Irish 1,000 Guineas, and we look forward to making these historic fillies' Classics available to customers from around the world.
“In addition to the popular World Moment of the Day initiative, we're excited to announce the new World Pool UK & Ireland Jockeys' Championship, which will provide a different dimension and further competition to World Pool racedays right up until QIPCO British Champions Day in October.
“It's a unique competition, with a jockey's points being determined by World Pool win dividends, and a great initiative as there's £50,000 up for grabs for the leading rider to donate to a charity of their choice. We are committed to giving money back to racing and good causes, and this seemed the perfect way to do that.”
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