€29.5 million bet into World Pool on first day of Longines Irish Champions Weekend

Sunday 11th September 2022

• Next World Pool event at QIPCO British Champions Day on Saturday 15th October

Day 1 of Longines Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown, featuring the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes, saw €29.5 million bet into World Pool.

Gross Turnover for World Pool bets increased by 33% on 2021’s figure of €22.2 million.

As a collaboration of global Totes, World Pool enables racing fans from all over the globe to bet into a single pool. This creates huge liquidity and excellent value for racing fans.

Exceptional Value for Tote customers on Day 1 of Longines Irish Champions Weekend

World Pool is accessed via Tote Ireland. Bets can be placed on World Pool events at the racecourse, online at tote.ie or tote.co.uk, as well as at the Tote App or via bookmakers, the majority of whom accept Tote bets online and in shops

Additionally, all customers betting with the Tote, both online or at the racecourse, not only benefit from World Pool, but also benefit from Tote Guarantee which ensures all Win bets will always match the Starting Price, or exceed it if the pool price is bigger. Customers betting directly with the Tote online receive an extra 10% boost on winning bets via Tote+.

The Tote offered customers exceptional value across the eight races:

• Tote+ Win beat SP in 5 of the 8 races (and matched on the remaining three with Tote Guarantee in place)

• Tote+ Win overround was 103% vs SP overround of 118%

• Tote+ Exacta beat Forecast on 6 out of 8 races

• Tote+ Trifecta beat Tricast on 4 out of 5 races

 €1,200 won by Racing Staff for World Pool “Moment of the Day” on Day 1 of Longines Irish Champions Weekend

At each World Pool event there is a “Moment of the Day” which will be awarded by an industry representative, with the moment decided by a standout performance. This could include a wide-margin winner; a winner from an unlikely position; an extraordinary turn of foot at any point in the race; an above expectation performance by an outsider; or a human or equine interest story.

Racing staff who look after the winning horse for each World Pool “Moment of the Day” receive €1,200/£1,000 and a bottle of champagne. On Day 1 of Longines Irish Champions Weekend, “World Pool Moment of the Day” was won by Derek Hennessy, the groom, and Killian Hennessy, the work rider, of Luxembourg, who share the prize for the horse’s success in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes.

At the end of the World Pool season, the 16 winners of “Moment of the Day” at World Pool events will compete for the overall World Pool “Moment of the Year”, which will be presented on QIPCO British Champions Day. The overall winner will be determined by a combination of scores derived from a public vote and an industry panel. The winning yard who looks after the horse will be awarded the World Pool “Moment of the Year” and receive €40,000/£34,000 (making the overall prize £50,000 (c. €60,000)).

Global collaboration continues to grow World Pool

Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director Wagering Products of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “Day 1 of Longines Irish Champions Weekend was another successful day for World Pool with excellent ongoing collaboration between all parties. We appreciate the efforts by Horse Racing Ireland, the Tote, Racecourse Media Group, our global partners, and of course the participants, in ensuring World Pool continues to go from strength-to-strength to the benefit of global horse racing.”

Suzanne Eade, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland which owns Tote Ireland, said: “We are delighted with Day 1 of Longines Irish Champions Weekend which was a top class day of racing. This was reflected in the positive World Pool numbers. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Tote and Racecourse Media Group to further develop World Pool in Ireland.”

Alex Frost, Chief Executive of the UK Tote Group, said: “World Pool once again ensured the Tote was able to provide great value and an excellent experience for customers, in Ireland and the UK, betting on Day 1 of Longines Irish Champions Weekend. I would like to thank the Hong Kong Jockey Club, as well as the teams at Horse Racing Ireland, Leopardstown Racecourse and Racecourse Media Group for their collaboration and extensive support of World Pool. We look forward to the final fixture of the 2022 World Pool season at QIPCO British Champions Day. We have all appreciated this extraordinary opportunity to progress a concept that is having such a positive impact on horse racing in the UK and Ireland, even at these most formative stages." 

Please visit https://worldpool.hkjc.com/ for full details about World Pool and follow @WorldPool on Twitter for all the latest news.

ENDS.

For further information, please contact:

Susannah Gill
Communications and Corporate Affairs Director
UK Tote Group
susannah.gill@uktotegroup.com
07751 870 929

Notes to editors

Great Britain and Ireland will host on the following World Pool days in 2022:

• QIPCO 2000 Guineas Day – Newmarket Rowley Mile Racecourse, Saturday 30th April

• Cazoo Oaks Day – Epsom Downs Racecourse, Friday 3rd June

• Cazoo Derby Day – Epsom Downs Racecourse, Saturday 4th June

• Royal Ascot – Ascot Racecourse, Tuesday 14th to Saturday 18th June

• QIPCO King George Diamond Day – Ascot Racecourse, Saturday 23rd July

• Qatar Goodwood Festival – Goodwood Racecourse, Tuesday 26th to Thursday 28th July

• Ebor Festival – York Racecourse, Wednesday 17th to Friday 19th August

• Longines Irish Champion Stakes Day – Leopardstown Racecourse, Saturday 10th September

• QIPCO British Champions Day – Ascot Racecourse, Saturday 15th October

There are seven bet types in World Pool for 2022, including the Exacta and Treble for the first time:

• Win (Single Leg bet) – Pick the winner of the race

• Place (Single Leg bet) – Pick a horse to be placed. Hong Kong place terms apply

• Exacta (Single Leg bet) – Pick the first two horses in the correct order 

• Trifecta (Single Leg bet) – Also known as the Tierce. Select the winner, the second, and the third horse in the correct order

• Quinella (Single Leg bet) – Select the first two finishers in either order

• Swinger (Single Leg bet) – Also known as the Quinella Place, pick two horses to finish first, second or third in any order

• Treble (Multi Leg bet) – Pick the first horse in three races 

About UK TOTE GROUP

UK Tote Group is the proud owner and steward of the Tote, the UK’s leading pool betting operator.

The Tote has been a core part of British horseracing since 1928 when it was established by Parliament under Winston Churchill as Chancellor of the Exchequer, to provide the public with a safe way to bet and vital funding for the sport.

UK Tote Group is committed to fulfilling Churchill’s founding mission through a revitalised Tote which provides better value and an improved experience to customers, as well as funding for British horseracing. 

The 90-year-old British company is backed by racehorse owners and breeders from around the world. It has an exclusive partnership with British racecourses to provide pool betting services to the six million people who attend race meetings in Great Britain every year, alongside an alliance with Tote Ireland.

The Tote employs 170 people who are based in the Tote’s main office in Wigan and a satellite office in London.