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British Champions Day part of World Pool triple header

World Pool

18/10/2024

Full card from Ascot joined by Australia’s King Charles III Stakes Day and Caulfield Cup

  • King Of Steel and Frankie Dettori win last year’s Champion Stakes at Ascot (Credit: Focus on Racing)
    King Of Steel and Frankie Dettori win last year’s Champion Stakes at Ascot (Credit: Focus on Racing)

Friday 18th October 2024 – World Pool returns to action this Saturday at Ascot for British Champions Day, the final World Pool race day in Britain and Ireland this year, and will be joined by both King Charles III Stakes Day and Caulfield Cup  from Australia, marking only the second time the globally commingled pools have been in operation across three fixtures on the same day.

All six races on Ascot’s card, which includes four Group 1 contests, will be available to bet on for World Pool’s global customers in over 28 different countries, while a single race from Caulfield, the feature Caulfield Cup, will be globally commingled on the same day.

Joining both fixtures will be five races on the card from King Charles III Stakes Day from Randwick, meaning this will be only the second World Pool three fixture composite raceday ever, following on from when Dubai World Cup Day, Tancred Stakes Day and Australian Cup Day were all commingled on 30th March this year.

Ascot’s final Flat meeting will also see the inaugural champion of the World Pool UK & Ireland Jockeys’ Championship decided following the final race, the Balmoral Handicap.

Currently young rider Billy Loughnane leads the standings, after several long odds winners at Royal Ascot, including an astonishing 129.90 win aboard Rashabar in the Coventry Stakes.

With second-placed Oisin Murphy over 90 points behind Loughnane it will take a huge-priced winner from any of the chasing riders to overthrow the current leader.

The winning rider will be awarded £50,000 to be given to a nominated charity of their choice and a representative from their named charity will be present at Ascot to accept the donation.

Last year’s Champion Stakes famously saw legendary rider Frankie Dettori bow out from riding in the UK with a win in the feature race aboard King Of Steel, but the World Pool Moment of the Day went to French raider Big Rock, who posted a resounding success in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, winning by six lengths under Aurelien Lemaitre.

Once again, a Moment of the Day will be chosen from the six races on Ascot’s card, with the winning groom receiving a cheque for £4,000 and the chance to win a VIP trip to Hong Kong next year.

Before the action gets underway at Ascot, six races from Australia – five races from King Charles III Stakes Day at Randwick in Sydney as well as the world’s richest mile and a half handicap, the Caulfield Cup, in Melbourne – will be open to World Pool bettors.

The world’s richest race on turf, the AUD$20 million The TAB Everest (1200m), carries Group 1 status for the first time. The Randwick card also features the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m), the Group 3 Sydney Stakes (1200m), Group 3 Silver Eagle (1300m) and the World Pool Handicap (1400m).

Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products at the HKJC, said: “Ascot’s British Champions Day always brings down the curtain on the UK Flat season in style and it fantastic to once again be commingling all six top-class races on the card, as well as welcoming races from both Caulfield and Randwick in what is only our second ever three fixture World Pool raceday.

“At Ascot, as well as the usual World Pool Moment of the Day prize, we look forward to seeing the first World Pool Jockeys’ Champion crowned after what has been a thrilling new challenge in UK & Ireland this season. It also marks the beginning of a new charitable initiative, with the £50,000 prize awarded to the winner going to a charity of the winning rider’s choice, in line with World Pool and the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s commitment to giving back to local communities.”

Upcoming World Pool events: 

October

Saturday 19: King Charles III Stakes Day – Randwick Racecourse (P)
Saturday 19: Caulfield Cup Day – Caulfield Racecourse (S)
Saturday 19: British Champions Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)

November

Saturday 2: Victoria Derby Day – Flemington Racecourse (F)
Sunday 10: Grosser Preis von Bayern Day – Munich Racecourse (P)

December

Sunday 15: Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini – San Isidro Racecourse (S)

 

   *F: Full meeting - World Pool coverage on all races in the relevant meeting
     P: Part meeting - World Pool coverage only on selected races in the relevant meeting
     S: Single race - World Pool coverage only on this race in the relevant meeting