United Kingdom | Horse Racing Free Tips

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.”

The post World Pool Year-On-Year Turnover Increases By 24 Percent To HK$7.4 Billion appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Storm Eunice Forces Cancellations in UK/Ire

The approach of Storm Eunice, which will impact Ireland and the United Kingdom on Friday, has caused some racecourses to cancel their cards as a precautionary measure. Fakenham was called off on Thursday due to the severe weather warnings, and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board has cancelled Dundalk's Friday card, too. The storm is expected to bring high winds and, in some cases, snow.

“We discussed the situation with Jim Martin of Dundalk Stadium and Met Eireann this morning and again this afternoon and we felt with the current forecast for tomorrow it was prudent to make an early decision and cancel the fixture,” said IHRB Clerk of the Course, Brendan Sheridan via Twitter. “Many parts of the country are subject to Orange and Red Weather Warnings in the morning which would make travel unsafe and Met Eireann are also forecasting gusts with speeds in excess of 80km/h during race time.”

Kelso, one of three UK courses still set to race on Friday, will hold an inspection at 8 a.m. on Friday morning.

“We're only a yellow warning at the moment up here and we are getting nothing like the wind speeds down in England,” said clerk of the course Matthew Taylor. “Our concern would be snow more than anything and access to the racecourse maybe and the surrounding areas on high ground if they got heavy snow. We are in a trickier situation than most because it literally is just the waiting game.

“The problem as well is that the forecast is changing by the hour. We were supposed to be getting 10 centimetres of snow and then this afternoon it's changed back to rain so we don't know exactly what we're going to get.”

“We've got an 8 a.m. inspection so hopefully we can make the right call early.”

Lingfield and Southwell are both set to race as of Thursday evening, with Lingfield set to be inspected at 8 a.m. and Southwell, which is expecting 60-70mph winds, due for inspection at 10 a.m.

Kirkland Tellwright, clerk of the course at Haydock, is hoping by Saturday that the storm has weakened in advance of the course's Saturday meeting.

He said, “The main concern has been wind, which would be a problem on a raceday but shouldn't be the day before. There will be a lot of damage to repair, no doubt. Saturday is expected to be blustery, gusts of wind and more rain. Having walked the course a couple of times today, I'm pretty optimistic we'll get through.

“The hurdle course is heavy, soft in places, and is not in a bad place. The chase course is heavy, and very heavy in one or two places so we might be bypassing them. I've taken the second fence out in the back straight mainly as a precaution because it gives us more options in terms on how we get past that location.”

The post Storm Eunice Forces Cancellations in UK/Ire appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Phoenix Thoroughbreds Will Cease Racing In UK ‘For The Foreseeable Future’

Phoenix Thoroughbreds released a statement Tuesday announcing that the ownership group will cease racing operations in the United Kingdom immediately, according to the Racing Post. The group has racehorses with 11 different trainers in Britain.

“This has not been a decision we have taken lightly,” said Phoenix's founder Amer Abdulaziz Salman. “However, for the growth and wellbeing of our business and our partners internationally, we have taken the decision to leave the UK for the foreseeable future. It saddens me greatly to have to do this but at this juncture, we believe it is necessary. We would like to thank everyone who has helped us achieve our dreams so far.”

Abdulaziz was alleged in a New York court to be a money launderer for fake cryptocurrency OneCoin last year, and he has consistently declined to identify any investors in the Luxembourg-registered equine fund.

Prominent racing figures to have distanced themselves from Phoenix include: Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, trainer Martyn Meade, bloodstock advisor Dermot Farrington, and former vice-president and head of equine investments Tom Ludt.

Also on Tuesday, the Racing Post published a list of questions Phoenix has refused to answer, including queries about the money laundering allegations and the Luxembourg fund. Phoenix responded with a categorical denial of all the allegations against it, insisting they would “vigorously contest all allegations of wrongdoing.”

The post Phoenix Thoroughbreds Will Cease Racing In UK ‘For The Foreseeable Future’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Apprentice Jockey Tests Positive for Coronavirus in UK

An apprentice jockey in the UK has tested positive for the coronavirus, the British Horseracing Authority confirmed on Sunday. The rider in question has not participated in a race several weeks, but did recently attend a race meeting. The identity of the apprentice has not been released. British racing was halted in March until June 1 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Once racing started up again, all racing personnel have been operating under strict government guidelines and safety protocols to ensure that social distancing is followed and the chance of catching the virus is reduced. No crowds have been allowed to watch the races, with moderate amounts of owners finally allowed back recently.

“Having been notified that an apprentice jockey had tested positive for coronavirus, the BHA has worked with the health protection agency, PJA, the jockey and their yard to assist their employer in following government guidance and managing the jockey’s recent close contacts,” said a BHA spokesman. “A handful of people have been identified and asked to self-isolate for 14 days as a result. Further tests taken by close contacts have not returned any further positive results.

“The jockey in question has not taken a ride for a few weeks, though attended a recent race meeting as a member of stable staff, prior to showing any symptoms and before their positive test. It remains important that everyone involved in the sport follows government and racing guidelines and protocols around social distancing and environment hygiene at all times.”

The post Apprentice Jockey Tests Positive for Coronavirus in UK appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post