The Saudi Cup, world’s richest horse race, to be a World Pool event through SIS and Hong Kong Jockey Club Agreement

SIS (Sports Information Services) has agreed a deal with Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) for six races on the US$31.5 million Saudi Cup race meeting hosted at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on February 25 to become HKJC World Pool events.

Established in 2019, The Saudi Cup race day has solidified itself on the global racing calendar with horses from 15 countries planning to participate this year. The feature race, the US$20 million Group 1 Saudi Cup will showcase last year’s top two finishers – Emblem Road and Country Grammer.

HKJC will host the wagering pools on Saudi Cup day races 3-8, giving bettors access to the biggest international commingled pools in the world, while SIS will coordinate the commercial arrangements with global pool operators.  The first race will be at 3:45pm AST (7:45am EST).

World Pool is an extension of the HKJC commingling business, where the HKJC accepts bets from overseas partners to expand its already large pari-mutuel pools for local Hong Kong racing.

Historically, North America has been the largest participant in the Saudi Cup day pools and this deal not only benefits that market with increased liquidity from Hong Kong, but attracts additional operators, from France, United Kingdom and Ireland, who join existing operators from Germany, Netherlands, Brazil, Peru and Panama.

Michele Fischer, Vice President, SIS Content Services, said: “As the wagering distributor of The Saudi Cup since its inception, SIS is proud to have the race day as part of the prestigious World Pool schedule. It allows us to continue to grow the following of the Saudi Cup races through increased pool size and expanded global participation.

“We appreciate inclusion in the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s World Pool initiative to showcase the best global races.”

Sam Nati, Head of Commingling, Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “The Saudi Cup is a race that has already firmly established itself in the racing calendar and we are thrilled to have this meeting as part of the World Pool. We aim to include the best international racing events within the World Pool schedule, so it makes sense for the Saudi Cup to join the roster in 2023.”