World Pool Year-On-Year Turnover Increases By 24 Percent To HK$7.4 Billion

The World Pool season has ended with a 24% year-on-year turnover increase to HK$7.4 billion, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Tuesday.

The largest globally commingled horse racing pools created and powered by the HKJC, the World Pool started and finished the year at Flemington Racecourse in Australia. In total, there were 222 races–up from 154 races in 2022–in eight countries. World Pool was active in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina and Australia for the first time and expanded its imprint with extra races from the UK and Ireland. Cox Plate Day in Australia amassed HK$60 million in bets and was one of the top five World Pool highest single-race turnovers. The G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot, set a new single race turnover record at HK$66.2m. King George Day at Ascot saw the biggest jump in turnover for a UK or Irish raceday, rising from HK$253m to a new record of HK$287m, an increase of over 13%, while 2,000 Guineas Day as well as days one and three of Royal Ascot also posted year-on-year increases. Dubai World Cup night saw the second highest growth, with turnover up from HK$280m to HK$315m this term.

Michael Fitzsimons, executive director, wagering products of the HKJC, said, “World Pool was created to unite the world's best racing events and provide racing fans with a value product that has never been seen before.

“We are absolutely delighted with how World Pool has performed in 2023. We've not only seen records broken and growth in countries where World Pool was already in operation, but a very promising reception in new jurisdictions too.

“We'd like to thank all of our partners around the world for their commitment and passion in helping us to grow World Pool. This is just the beginning.”

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The Everest Day Sets New Australian Record for World Pool

The debut of World Pool on The Everest Day at Randwick in Sydney last weekend saw new local highs reached for World Pool with more than A$57 million wagered across nine races and five different bet types.

For the first time ever on an Australian race meeting, totalisator Win, Place, Quinella, Trifecta and Duet wagers from the state of New South Wales were combined with bets placed in Victoria and Western Australia as well as the Australian Capital Territory through S-TAB.

A total of HK$284.3 million (A$57.5 million) was held on the nine races offered from Randwick, topping the HK$253 million wagered on Lightning Sakes Day at Flemington in February. It also set a new benchmark of almost HK$31.6 million (A$6.4 million) per race, compared with almost HK$26.7 million (A$5.4 million) on five races from Turnbull Stakes Day last weekend.

Significantly, the feature A$20 million The Everest–won by Think About It–had the third-highest turnover of all 195 World Pool races worldwide in 2023 at HK$51.5 million (A$10.4 million).

Only the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot, which attracted HK$66.2 million in bets, and the G1 Dubai World Cup, which generated HK$54.5 million, garnered more betting attention–and both had six bet types to The Everest's five.

Additionally, the A$8,000 World Pool Moment of the Day was awarded to Raj Kumar, the groom of Front Page, who became a back-to-back winner of The Kosciuszko. Kumar is now in the running to win a trip to Hong Kong next year should his victory be selected as the World Pool Moment of the Year.

World Pool action returns to Melbourne next weekend for Caulfield Cup Day (Oct. 21), which will be held in conjunction with British Champions Day at Ascot in the UK, before Cox Plate Day (Oct. 28) and Victoria Derby Day (Nov. 4) are also taken globally.

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World Pool First: Latin America Included and Wagering Across Three Continents

Sunday's G1 Longines Grand Premio Latinamericano at San Isidro will be an inaugural World Pool event and this will be the first time global betting will be engaged across three continents on a single weekend, the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced Thursday.

The HKJC confirmed that while the local tote in Argentina will not commingle internationally, other partners' pools from the likes of Australia, France, North America and Hong Kong will be joined up by World Pool.

The Latin American Group 1 contest will close a major weekend of World Pool action, with five races on Turnbull Stakes Day from Flemington in Australia followed by four races from Newmarket on Sun Chariot Day.

“One of the core motives for World Pool is to connect totes from across the globe for the most important races, so we're delighted to have extended our reach to take in Latin America's biggest Group 1 contest,” said Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. “The combination of Turnbull Stakes Day, Sun Chariot Stakes Day and then the Gran Premio Latinoamericano on Sunday makes this weekend's World Pool action a real Group 1 feast for punters around the globe.”

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ICHA Conference Highlighted by Equine Welfare

The 57th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities, focused this year on safeguarding equine welfare and exploring shifts in societal expectations and the sport's response around the world, took place on Oct. 2 at Saint-Cloud racetrack in Paris.

Organised by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the day-long conference emphasized horse racing in a changing society, safeguarding equine welfare and explore shifts in societal expectations and the racing industry's response around the world.

“Today we continued what has been a chief mission throughout the life of the Federation: equine welfare,” IFHA Chair Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, who delivered the Conference's opening and closing remarks, said. “This Conference provides an opportunity to focus and build upon the significant body of work which has been carried out domestically and internationally over many years by our members to protect our equine athletes.

Moderated by racing presenter Nick Luck, speakers on the day included Professor Natalie Waran, Chair of the Independent Commission for Equine Ethics and Wellbeing for the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI); Lisa-Jane Graffard, General Secretary, Au-DelĂ  des Pistes; Julie Harrington, Chief Executive, British Horseracing Authority (BHA); Najja Thompson, Executive Director, New York Thoroughbred Breeders' Inc. (NYTB); James Given, Director of Equine Regulation, Safety and Welfare, BHA; Josh Rubinstein, President, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club; Brian Stewart, Head of Veterinary Clinical Services, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC); Sonia Wittreck, Stud Book & Doping Control, Head of Department, France-Galop; and Hiroshi Ito, Counselor of the Japan Racing Association (JRA).

During her speech, Waran presented key strategies for equine sports to proactively consider amidst changing societal expectations. This included increasing continuing education for anyone working hands-on with equine athletes to better their welfare.

“Our changing social values in relation to animals have affected different industries in different ways,” said Waran. “It is important to recognise that society does not distinguish between different equestrian sports. There is enough data out there to show that the concerns around horse involvement in sport are rising. The racing world must positively engage with both perception and reality and show real commitment to change to ensure positive welfare.”

Following her keynote, a panel of senior racing administrators including Lisa-Jane Graffard, General Secretary, Au-DelĂ  des Pistes; Julie Harrington, Chief Executive, British Horseracing Authority (BHA); and Najja Thompson, Executive Director, New York Thoroughbred Breeders' Inc. (NYTB), shared their approaches and strategies to shape the narratives surrounding equine welfare and racing.

The next panel of the Conference featured leaders from racing administration and veterinary science who explored protecting the sport's equine athletes. Speakers included James Given, Director of Equine Regulation, Safety and Welfare, BHA; Josh Rubinstein, President, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club; Brian Stewart, Head of Veterinary Clinical Services, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC); and Sonia Wittreck, Stud Book & Doping Control, Head of Department, France-Galop.

“Getting the balance right is part of training, but it is also something technology can help us with,” said Stewart. “If we do have a problem, we have to be able to achieve an accurate diagnosis, and that will guide our future management of that horse. Things are now coming together, and I am quite hopeful we might be able to make a significant difference.”

Also, Charles Scheeler, Chair of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) in the United States, gave an update on the organisation, including a review of the implementation of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program and future developments.

“HISA is working under the supervision of the Federal Trade Commission and in partnership with the members of the sport to transform horse racing,” Scheeler said. “The essence of this effort is the creation of an ecosystem of care surrounding horses. We remain excited about horse racing's future in the United States, and we recognise that we have a rich legacy to protect.”

The final session of the Conference looked in-depth at enhancing stakeholder engagement, specifically regarding public engagement and response in relation to equine welfare. Nevin Truesdale, the Chief Executive Officer of The Jockey Club (UK), began the session with a discussion of his organisation's experiences with effective resolution and communication management.

“We need to operate together on this,” said Truesdale. “Having a clear set of messages as an industry, everyone singing off the same sheet, became really important for us in the lead up and the aftermath of Epsom. We have to be relentless in continuing to make the sport safer and in telling that story. There is a persuadable audience, statistics show us that, but that will only work for us if we are clear on the changes we are making. Standing still on this is not optional.”

The first International Conference of Horseracing Authorities was organized and hosted by the Société d'Encouragement in Paris, France, on Oct. 9, 1967. Since 1994, the annual conference has been organized by the IFHA and The JRA became the official partner of the Conference beginning in 2021. This year's Conference convened delegates from about 40 different countries, with a number of other racing executives and media members in attendance.

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