World Pool, the largest commingled horse racing pools created and powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), will expand to 25 fixtures in 2023, with some of the new additions the Lightning S. Day in Australia (Feb. 18), The Saudi Cup (Feb. 25), and Irish Derby Day (July 2).
Provisional World Pool events will be hosted on the following days in 2023:
- 28: Met Day – Kenilworth Racecourse, South Africa
- 18: Black Caviar Lightning Race Day – Flemington Racecourse, Australia
- 25: Saudi Cup – King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 4: Super Saturday – Meydan Racecourse, Dubai
- 25: Dubai World Cup – Meydan Racecourse, Dubai
- May 20: Lockinge S. Day – Newbury Racecourse, UK
- July 2: Irish Derby Day – the Curragh, Ireland
- July 2: Deutsches Derby Day – Hamburg-Horn, German
The World Pool Moment of the Year has been extended to all global World Pool meetings and will reward stable staff with a total of over HK$1 million (approx. £103,000) in prizes, as well as a VIP trip to Hong Kong, thanks to additional funding from the HKJC, UK Tote Group, Racecourse Media Group (RMG) and Ascot Racecourse. For more information, please visit the World Pool website for more.
Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director Wagering Products of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said, “We were absolutely thrilled with the results from our 21 World Pool meetings in 2022 and are excited to be extending that offering to 25 days this year.
“Having Australia and Saudi Arabia on the fixture list of 2023 World Pool meetings is another important step in the globalisation of World Pool, while adding some high-profile British and Irish meetings to the schedule is another exciting advancement.
“To complement our expanding list of World Pool meetings are the Moment of the Day and Moment of the Year initiatives, which for the first time will reward winning stable staff from all countries hosting World Pool races.
“Last year's launch of the competition in the UK and Ireland was met with great feedback from yards across the region and we look forward to opening that up to our World Pool days in South Africa, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Dubai.”
Alex Frost, Chief Executive of the UK Tote Group, said, “We are looking forward to another World Pool season which now extends its reach across eight countries worldwide. For the UK and Ireland, it is welcome to see new additions to this year's schedule, with two races from Newbury's Lockinge Day added, along with Irish Derby Day, taking World Pool events hosted in the UK and Ireland to a total of 18.
“The ambitions for a global wagering platform are already being realised with over 20 pool betting operators now part of World Pool. Last year alone, the UK and Ireland saw record turnover of £521 million across 17 World Pool events, showcasing the best of our racing to a global audience, ensuring an improved value proposition for our own wagering customers and creating a more sustainable funding mechanism for horseracing in the future, with additional income for our racecourse partners.
“Our continued thanks go to our partners the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and in collaboration with RMG and Ascot, we are delighted to see Moment of the Day and Moment of the Year now extended to include all countries hosting World Pool races.”
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