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World Pool Moment of the Year finalists announced

World Pool

13/11/2023

Grooms of Equinox, Shaquille, Quickthorn and Ozzmosis will battle it out in a public vote to win a VIP trip to Hong Kong

  • Shaquille winning the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot for Julie Camacho and Oisin Murphy | Credit: Focus on Racing
    Shaquille winning the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot for Julie Camacho and Oisin Murphy | Credit: Focus on Racing

Thursday 9 November, 2023 – There have been 27 individual World Pool Moment of the Day winners in 2023, with each winning groom receiving £4,000 (approx. HK$38,350), and an independent panel from the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) has narrowed that down to four finalists who will compete for a VIP trip for four to Hong Kong next year.

The finalists, the winner of whom will be able to attend either the 2024 Hong Kong Derby or 2024 FWD Champions Day with three guests, are as follows:

  • Tomohiro Kusunoki, groom of Equinox, winner of the Sheema Classic on 25 March
  • Paige Harrison, groom of Shaquille, winner of the Commonwealth Cup on 23 June
  • Raj Rasiah, groom of Quickthorn, winner of the Goodwood Cup on 1 August
  • Olivea Staveley, groom of Ozzmosis, winner of the Coolmore Stud Stakes on 4 November

The winning groom will be determined by a public vote run on the World Pool microsite (http://www.hkjc.com/r/moty/) which opens at 09:00 GMT/17:00 HKT on Monday 13 November and will close at 09:00 GMT/17:00 HKT on Monday 27 November. The winner will be announced during the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on Sunday 10 December.

World Pool, the globe’s largest commingled horse racing pools created and powered by the HKJC, with additional funding from the HKJC, UK Tote Group, Racecourse Media Group (RMG) and Ascot Racecourse, have rewarded stable staff with £108,000 (just over HK$1 million) in prizes in 2023.

The prize for the winner and their three guests includes: Return flights (premium economy), accommodation in 4-star hotel for five nights, and hospitality at both the Happy Valley and Sha Tin meetings on either Hong Kong Derby Day or FWD Champions Day.

Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “It has been another brilliant year of World Pool events and we are now really excited to see who will be awarded World Pool Moment of the Year.

“Stable staff play such a vital role in our sport and we felt it was important to recognise and honour their hard work, commitment and love for the animals they look after with such care.

“The final four Moments of the Day were all incredible performances, so we look forward to seeing which one captures the public’s imagination the most and then welcoming the winning groom and their guests to Hong Kong next year.”

World Pool closed its 2023 season with a 24% year-on-year increase in turnover totalling HK$7.4 billion (£7.7 million).