Record World Pool turnover on Lockinge Stakes Day at Newbury

World Pool, the largest globally commingled horse racing pools created and powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, saw record turnover on Lockinge Stakes Day, with the fixture featuring five World Pool races for the first time, an increase from two races in 2023.

Across the five races on the card, total turnover from World Pool bet types hit HK$145.3 million (approx. £14.6 million), up from HK$66 million (approx. £6.7 million) last year.

There was a surprise result in the feature G1 Lockinge Stakes, as Audience, the runner many thought was a pacemaker for his better fancied stablemate Inspiral, never saw another rival and came home in front under rider Rab Havlin. It marked a second win at the highest level for Havlin, and a second Lockinge Stakes for John & Thady Gosden.

For the third time this season, the UK & Irish Jockeys’ Championship saw riders compete for points determined by World Pool dividends, and while Silvestre de Sousa remained top on 44.10 points, there was plenty of movement in the top five.

Audience’s win at a World Pool dividend of 21.85 was enough to catapult Rab Havlin into the top five, and meant he emerged as the leading rider on the day.

Clifford Lee notched a double, with Elite Status winning the Listed Carnarvon Stakes at a World Pool dividend of 6.95 and Lethal Levi landing the HKJC World Pool handicap at a dividend of 8.80. It was Lee’s third win of the Championship and saw him rise to fourth in the table on 27.00 points.

Oisin Murphy maintained his position in third place with a win in the G3 Aston Park Stakes aboard Middle Earth (3.65), while William Buick was also successful on the day, riding King’s Gambit (4.80) to an impressive success in the London Gold Cup Handicap.

Next up for World Pool will be a debut on Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday May 26, and following that a return to the UK for a full card of races on Derby Day from Epsom on Saturday June 1, while the globally comingled pools will also be in action on the same day from Eagle Farm for Queensland Derby Day.

Upcoming World Pool events in the next three months: 

May

Sunday 26: Irish 1000 Guineas Day – Curragh Racecourse (P)

June

Saturday 1: Queensland Derby Day – Eagle Farm Racecourse (P)

Saturday 1: Derby Stakes Day – Epsom Racecourse (F)

Saturday 8: Gold Challenge – Greyville Racecourse (S)

Saturday 15: Stradbroke Handicap Day – Eagle Farm Racecourse (P)

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