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Sandown’s Eclipse added to World Pool roster

World Pool

13/05/2024

  • New Group 1s from UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia and South Africa approved for global commingling
  • Total World Pool turnover in 10 races at Newmarket’s Guineas Festival hit £31 million
  • St Mark’s Basilica won the 2021 Eclipse Stakes, the last time it was a World Pool race. (Credit: Focus on Racing)
    St Mark’s Basilica won the 2021 Eclipse Stakes, the last time it was a World Pool race. (Credit: Focus on Racing)

Monday 13 May 2024 - The historic Group 1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park has been reintroduced to the World Pool fixture list alongside top-level races from four other countries over the coming three months.

First made a World Pool race in 2021 but absent since, the 1m2f (2000m) contest will be joined on Saturday July 6 by the Durban July – making its debut as a World Pool day – at Greyville, and will be followed on the Sunday by Deutsches Derby Day (July 7) at Hamburg.

Ireland is set to see the full Irish Derby Day (June 30) card at the Curragh offered as a World Pool event for a second year, while World Pool - the largest globally commingled horse racing pools created and powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club - will be active on Irish 1000 Guineas Day (May 26) for the first time later this month.  

Two racedays at Eagle Farm in Australia will be inducted into the World Pool schedule in the shape of Queensland Derby Day (June 1) and Stradbroke Handicap Day (June 15), while South Africa’s Gold Challenge (June 8) at Greyville will be a World Pool race and the Grosser Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen Day at Munich (July 28) will also be a World Pool raceday.

Turnover tops $HK300 million at Newmarket

The UK’s first World Pool event of 2024 saw nine races globally commingled on 2000 Guineas Day last Saturday, as well as the 1000 Guineas on Sunday. Turnover for the 10 races totalled HK$305,219,946 (approximately £31 million).

Meanwhile, the World Pool Jockeys’ Championship got under way for the first time, which sees the winning jockey of every World Pool race in the UK and Ireland accumulate points based on the World Pool Win dividend.

Callum Shepherd, who rode Seven Questions to victory in the G3 Palace House Stakes at odds of 42.55, led the field after 2000 Guineas Day, but after the 1000 Guineas he had been narrowly usurped by Silvestre de Sousa, who triumphed in the fillies’ Classic aboard Elmalka at odds of 43.0, a significant overpay from the 28/1 SP.

It was Seven Questions’ performance in the Palace House Stakes on 2000 Guineas Day that was chosen as World Pool Moment of the Day, with groom Darren Yellowlees picking up a cheque for HK$40,000 (£4,000) and also gaining entry into the World Pool Moment of the Year competition for the chance to win a VIP trip to Hong Kong next year.

Tote dividends beat SP in seven of the 10 World Pool races across Guineas weekend, with Elmalka and Seven Questions being notable overpays of £43.00 (28/1 SP) and £42.55 (33/1 SP) respectively. The global pools created by World Pool continue to offer outstanding value to UK and Irish customers betting with the Tote:

  • Tote Win beat the industry Starting Price (SP) in 7 of the 10 races, matching on the remaining 3 with Tote Guarantee
  • Tote Win overround was 110% vs industry Starting Price overround of 121%
  • Tote Exacta beat forecast on 9 out of 10 races
  • Tote Trifecta beat Tricast in 8 out of 9 races

Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products, at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “It was great to kick start World Pool’s season in the UK with the first two British Classics of the season, and we’re delighted to announce the reintroduction of the historic Eclipse Stakes from Sandown to our fixture list for this year.

“This year World Pool’s global offering of races is stronger than ever and continues to grow with new fixtures from Ireland, Australia, South Africa and Germany added in the coming months, showing World Pool’s commitment to delivering the world’s best racing to customers across the globe.”

Alex Frost, Chief Executive at the UK Tote Group, said: “The UK World Pool season got off to an exciting start with deep competitive fields and some impressive winners that we hope to see plenty more of across the summer. World Pool once again provided customers in the UK and Ireland with remarkable value and liquidity and some significant overpays in a market with an average overround of 110%, compared to an industry Starting Price overround of 121%.”

Nevin Truesdale, Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said: “We were absolutely delighted with the turnover performance of the World Pool races at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile on Guineas weekend, which shows, once again, the importance of World Pool and its value to customers of British racing, both domestically and further afield.

“As we look forward, we are very excited about forthcoming World Pool races on Jockey Club racecourses with the entire Epsom Derby card in a few weeks’ time and in particular about the return of the Eclipse to the World Pool roster. Both are iconic races on the British and world calendars and we look forward to working with our partners at Hong Kong Jockey Club and UK Tote to promote them to a truly global audience with really strong on-site activations planned at both Epsom and Sandown Park.”

Upcoming World Pool events in the next three months: 

May
Saturday 18: Lockinge Stakes Day – Newbury Racecourse (P)
Sunday 26: Irish 1000 Guineas Day – Curragh Racecourse (P)

June
Saturday 1: Derby Stakes Day – Epsom Racecourse (F)
Tuesday 18: Queen Anne Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Wednesday 19: Prince of Wales’s Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Thursday 20: Gold Cup Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Friday 21: Commonwealth Cup Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Saturday 22: Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Sunday 30: Irish Derby Day – Curragh Racecourse (F)

July
Saturday 6: Eclipse Stakes – Sandown Racecourse (S)
Saturday 6: Durban July – Greyville Racecourse (S)
Sunday 7: Deutsches Derby Day – Hamburg Racecourse (P)
Saturday 27: King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Sunday 28: Champions Cup Day – Geryville Racecourse (P)
Sunday 28: Grosser Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen Day – Munich Racecourse (P)
Tuesday 30: Goodwood Cup Day – Goodwood Racecourse (F)
Wednesday 31: Sussex Stakes Day – Goodwood Racecourse (F)

   *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