On October 15, 2023, The Everest, the world’s richest turf race took place at Sydney’s Royal Randwick Racecourse. It was won by “Think About It.” This is a Group 1 sprint race that covered 1,200 meters with a staggering $20 million (AUS) prize pool. The event is highly anticipated in the Australian equestrian racing calendar.
The debut of World Pool during The Everest Day last weekend marked a historic milestone in Australian horse racing. It witnessed an unprecedented surge in betting activity. With over A$57 million wagered across nine races and five distinct bet types, it has set new records in the world of horse racing
New Heights reached in world pool betting
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The inaugural Everest Day in Australian horse racing history united bettors from various Australian states, such as New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory through S-TAB. This collaboration resulted in a record-breaking total of HK$284.3 million (A$57.5 million) wagered on the nine Randwick races. This sum surpassed the previous record set at Flemington’s Lightning Sakes Day in February, establishing an impressive benchmark of nearly HK$31.6 million (A$6.4 million) wagered per race, outperforming last weekend’s HK$26.7 million (A$5.4 million) on five races during Turnbull Stakes Day.
The highlight of the event, the prestigious A$20 million The Everest race, saw extraordinary betting turnover. Think About It claimed victory in this world-class race, which ranked third in betting volume among all 195 World Pool races worldwide in 2023, amassing HK$51.5 million (A$10.4 million) in wagers. Only two other global races, the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot and the G1 Dubai World Cup, managed to surpass The Everest in terms of betting attention. These two races attracted HK$66.2 million and HK$54.5 million in bets, respectively, despite offering six different bet types compared to The Everest’s five.
Equestrian global impact
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Alongside the exhilarating racing events, The Everest Day also showcased an off-track highlight. The A$8,000 World Pool Moment of the Day Award was bestowed upon Raj Kumar, the dedicated groom of Front Page, the back-to-back winner of The Kosciuszko. Kumar’s outstanding accomplishment places him in contention for the prestigious World Pool Moment of the Year award. Winning this accolade could earn him the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong next year.
Read More: Maintaining Unbeaten Streak, Equestrian Jockey and Horse Secure $12,500,000 Worth Victory
The excitement of World Pool action is set to continue in the coming weeks. Melbourne will be the next destination, with Caulfield Cup Day on October 21, coinciding with British Champions Day at Ascot in the UK. Subsequent events include Cox Plate Day on October 28 and Victoria Derby Day on November 4, all promising to take the global stage in the world of horse racing.
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