Longines Irish Champion Stakes Day set to host World Pool for first time
Monday 6th September 2021
For the first time, Longines Irish Champion Stakes Day will be a World Pool event.
Through collaboration between the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Tote, Horse Racing Ireland, and Racecourse Media Group, for the first day of the festival, which takes place at Leopardstown Racecourse on Saturday 11th September, racing fans from around the world will have the opportunity to bet into a single pool, ensuring larger and deeper pools, differentiated pricing, and the opportunity for unequalled value for Tote customers.
Created and hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club since 2018, over 20 leading racing nations, including Ireland, the UK, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, and the US have been part of World Pool to date.
Tote Ireland entered into a strategic alliance with the UK Tote Group in 2020. One of the benefits of this alliance, along with developing joint product and value improvements for tote.ie and tote.co.uk, is the delivery of the first World Pool for Irish Racing.
Alongside the vast liquidity created by World Pool, the Tote provides Irish customers betting on tote.ie with extra value. This includes Tote Guarantee which ensures the Win price always matches or exceeds the Industry Starting Price (SP), while Tote+ (Tote Plus) gives all customers a 10% dividend enhancement on every winning bet.
In total, over €372 million (£320m) has been bet into World Pool on 15 British race days in 2021 at the QIPCO 2000 Guineas Day, Cazoo Derby Day, Royal Ascot, Coral-Eclipse Day, QIPCO King George Diamond Day, the Qatar Goodwood Festival, and Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival.
Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland which owns Tote Ireland, said: “We are delighted that the Hong Kong Jockey Club have made Irish Champion Stakes Day at Leopardstown a World Pool event for the first time. This is both great news for Irish Tote bettors and for Leopardstown, underlining the benefits of Tote operators around the world coming together to provide bigger pools and better value. We look forward to continuing work with the Hong Kong Jockey Club and all involved in World Pool as it continues to grow and develop.”
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “I am pleased to see Ireland become the fourth racing jurisdiction to participate in World Pool following the UK, Dubai and South Africa. The World Pool provides customers from around the globe the opportunity to tap into the global pool with unmatched liquidity and is a significant source of additional income for our content partners during these challenging times. During the past summer of World Pool meetings, Goodwood and York festivals were simulcast for the first time. The next focus of attention will be the Irish Champion Stakes Day which is the first time an Irish race will be included in World Pool. We wish Horse Racing Ireland every success on the day.”
Longines Irish Champions Weekend 2020
There have been examples of exceptional value which can also be expected to be replicated on Longines Irish Champion Stakes Day:
At the Cazoo Derby at Epsom Downs the pool grew from €1.9 million (£1.7m) to over €30.3 million (£26m) with winners paying more on the Tote. For example, Adayar paid 20.24 on Tote+ compared to an SP of 16/1.
World Pool at Royal Ascot saw the Tote+ Win price beat the Industry SP on 21 occasions and match it on 14 occasions across the 35 races. This resulted in a 11% higher return compared to SP for Tote+ bets placed on tote.ie, based on placing a €1 bet on each winner during the week.
At the Qatar Goodwood Festival, 17 of the 22 winners were bigger on the Tote than with bookmakers, and the Tote matched them on the remaining five. This meant Tote customers were €34.63 better off with Tote+ to a €1 stake on every winner, which is 14.2% better than the SP. Six of the 22 races finished with “overbroke” final dividends betting to less than 100%, compared to an average overround of 15% with the bookmakers – this simply never happens in any other betting environment.
At the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival Tote+ win price beat the SP on 16 of out 21 occasions and matched it on the remaining five. There were 3 “overbroke” markets betting to less than 100%. The biggest World Pool market of the week was on the Group 1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes with €4.6 million (just under £4m) in the pool. The winner Winter Power paid out at 14.46 on Tote+ compared to an SP of 9/1.
For more information about the UK Tote Group please visit www.uktotegroup.com and follow us @UKToteGroup and @ToteRacing.
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
The 17 World Pool days from the UK and Ireland in 2021 are:
QIPCO 2000 Guineas Day – Newmarket Rowley Mile Racecourse, Saturday 1st May
Cazoo Derby Day – Epsom Downs Racecourse, Saturday 5th June
Five days of Royal Ascot – Ascot Racecourse, Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th June
Coral-Eclipse Day – Sandown Park Racecourse, Saturday 3rd July
QIPCO King George Diamond Day – Ascot Racecourse, Saturday 24th July
The first three days of the Qatar Goodwood Festival - Goodwood Racecourse, Tuesday 27th July to Thursday 29th July
The first three days of the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival – York Racecourse, Wednesday 18th to Friday 20th August
Longines Irish Champion Stakes Day – Leopardstown Racecourse, Saturday 11th September
QIPCO British Champions Day – Ascot Racecourse, Saturday 16th October
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 150 people who are based in the Tote’s main office in Wigan and a satellite office in London.
About Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class racing club that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2018/19, the Club made a record return to the Government of HK$23.3 billion in duty and profits tax and contributed HK$1.3 billion to the Lotteries Fund. Approved charity and community donations were HK$4.3 billion. The Club is Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer and one of the city’s major employers. Its Charities Trust is also one of the world’s top ten charity donors. The Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong. Please visit www.hkjc.com.
About Horse Racing Ireland
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) is the national authority for thoroughbred racing in Ireland, with responsibility for the governance, development, and promotion of the industry. HRI ensures that Ireland is the global leader in Horse Racing and Breeding, sustaining a vibrant and rural industry. HRI represents Ireland on international racing bodies including the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, the European and Mediterranean Federation of Horseracing Authorities and the European Pattern Committee.
About Tote Ireland
Tote Ireland operate Ireland's only pool betting system for horseracing. Tote operate betting services at all race meetings at all 26 racecourses in Ireland. Tote was founded by the Totalisator Act of 1929, with the Tote's first bets taken at Fairyhouse, Easter 1930.
All profits generated by Tote Ireland, are returned to horse racing for the improvement of the industry. Tote also sponsor a number of races through-out the country. The highlight of Tote's annual race sponsorship is the Tote Galway Plate at the Galway Races.
As well as operating a cash betting service at racecourses, Tote distribute Irish racing pools internationally, meaning other Tote's and partners from around the world bet into Irish Tote pools.
The Tote account offering is now operated in conjunction with the UK Tote through Tote.ie. Tote Ireland is a wholly owned subsidiary of Horse Racing Ireland.