World Pool grows by two-thirds at Qatar Goodwood Fesitval

Saturday 30th July 2022

• Over £97 million bet into World Pool across three days at the Qatar Goodwood Festival

• Next UK World Pool event at York’s Ebor Festival from Wednesday 17th to Friday 19th August

Qatar Goodwood Festival saw over £97 million bet into World Pool across the opening three-days.

Gross Turnover for World Pool bets increased by nearly two-thirds on 2021’s figure of just over £59 million.

Exceptional Value for Tote customers at the Qatar Goodwood Festival

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.

The Tote offered customers exceptional value across the 22 races at the Qatar Goodwood Festival:

• Tote+ Win beat SP in 18 of the 22 races (and matched on the remaining four with Tote Guarantee in place)

• Tote+ Win overround was 105% vs Industry Starting Price overround of 120%

• Tote+ Exacta beat Forecast on 20 out of 22 races

• Tote+ Trifecta beat Tricast on 15 out of 18 races

£3,000 won by Racing Staff for World Pool “Moment of the Day” at Qatar Goodwood Festival

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 £1,000 and a bottle of champagne. At the Qatar Goodwood Festival, the following members of Racing Staff won “World Pool Moment of the Day”:

• Tuesday, 26th July: Willie Dwan, groom of Lord Riddiford who had his third win at the Qatar Goodwood Festival in the Class 2 Nicholson Gin Handicap.

• Wednesday 27th July: Jane Stanforth, groom of Oscula who won the Group 3 Whispering Angel Oak Tree Stakes, having had six runs in 54 days.

• Thursday 28th July: Hollie Thomas, groom of Royal Scotsman who broke the two-year-old track record when winning the Group 2 Richmond 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 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 £34,000.

Global collaboration continues to grow World Pool

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “The stunning growth of World Pool continued with fantastic results at the Qatar Goodwood Festival. What is most pleasing to see is the resonance of the World Pool brand across all customer segments and geographies over the three days. It is clear that customers are seeing the true value of World Pool liquidity and stakeholders are seeing the true value of the funding mechanism which results in higher returns to the industry. We appreciate the efforts by Goodwood, UK Tote, our global partners and of course the participants to make it such a successful event.”

Adam Waterworth, Managing Director of Goodwood Racecourse, said: “We are delighted to see the significant growth in World Pool at the Qatar Goodwood Festival. As our most high profile racing meeting of the year it has always been our aim to ensure as many people as possible around the world can watch and bet on the excellent racing. As well as being a positive development for racing fans, World Pool is one of the most important initiatives in British racing from which Goodwood benefits, allowing us to reinvest in our prize money and racecourse experience.”

Alex Frost, Chief Executive of the UK Tote Group, said: “The Tote has once again provided great value to customers betting on the high-class racing from the Qatar Goodwood Festival. With an overround of 105%, versus an Industry Starting Price overround of 120%, the Tote is offering racing fans unrivalled betting value. I would like to thank The Duke of Richmond and Gordon, and the entire Goodwood team, for their collaboration and support of World Pool this week which perfectly demonstrates the benefits of mutual co-operation and partnership at the heart of World Pool. We look forward to the next World Pool days at the Ebor Festival at York Racecourse in August.”

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

Please note World Pool events beyond July 2022 are subject to the approval of the Hong Kong Government but Great Britain and Ireland are set to host on the following 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 Champions 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.