World Pool Will Add Millions To Turnover
TAB Everest meeting the first in Sydney to be involved with World Pool
October 13, 2023
The popularity of champion jockeys Zac Purton and Hugh Bowman with Hong Kong punters will further stimulate wagering to record levels when they return to Sydney to ride at the TAB Everest meeting at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Everest Day is the first Sydney thoroughbred meeting to be included in the World Pool with estimates it will boost betting turnover by tens of millions of dollars. Purton and Bowman have huge support among punt-mad Hong Kong gamblers where both jockeys are based these days and they will attract even more international money into the World Pool.
In the $20million The TAB Everest, Purton will ride Godolphin mare In Secret and Bowman has been booked for the Chris Waller-trained Espiona.
Purton, who currently heads the Hong Kong jockey premiership by one win from Bowman, has five rides on Everest Day including In Secret’s stablemates Zapateo in the $2million Sydney Stakes and Pericles in the $1million Silver Eagle.
Bowman has six rides on Everest Day including Airman in the Sydney Stakes, Madame Pommery in the Silver Eagle and Cavalier Charles in the $2million Kosciuszko. Tabcorp chief executive Adam Rytenskild said the World Pool will ensure the “biggest tote pools we have ever seen in NSW on Saturday.
“It will be fantastic for dividends, be fantastic for exotics, we will have some promotions around it,” Rytenskild said.
“Hong Kong has led the World Pool concept, we are happy to be part of it and happy to support it.”
James Ross, Executive General Manager Racing and Wagering for the ATC, said TAB Everest Day had developed into one of the richest racedays on the calendar and that the involvement of World Pool would only be a positive for wagering.
“We are looking forward to the inaugural World Pool meeting in Sydney, which has been complemented by an increase in world class racing, international horse participation and globally recognised riders,” he stated.
“The TAB Everest raceday has grown exponentially to be amongst the Top 5 richest race days and World Pool will significantly grow our wagering.”
Tabcorp has struck a deal with the Hong Kong Jockey Club so TAB can combine with Hong Kong tote pools and other aligned international totalizator businesses for Everest Day.
Rytenskild revealed there will be seven countries betting into the World Pool on Saturday.
The World Pool is a collaboration between Hong Kong Jockey Club and global totalizator businesses, bringing together par-mutuel operators across four continents to create betting pools with global liquidity enabling punters to bet into larger and more stable wagering pools.
The result is that big bets wagered into the World Pool will have less impact on the dividend as the pot is much larger.
The World Pool operated on five races during the Turnbull Stakes meeting at Flemington last Saturday with the combined ‘Win’ pool totalling $6,545,489.82 which is almost nine times the combined pool of the five non-World Pool races on the Victorian tote reaching $743,831.
Remarkably, the combined duet (quinella place) pools on the final five World Pool races at Flemington was $6,732,853.78 compared to $18,226.68 on the first five races.
“It is pleasing to see the increase in International simulcast race meetings for Sydney reflecting the growing exposure of our flagship days including the TAB Everest, which will be shown in 68 countries around the world,” Ross said.
“We are very appreciative to our long-standing partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Broadcast partners Sky Racing International to deliver this expansion.”
*Story courtesy of the Daily Telegraph