WORLD Pool betting on Irish Champions Festival was down 8.5% compared to the weekend figures from 12 months earlier - driven by a significant reduction at Leopardstown’s Saturday card.
Run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, World Pool allows punters from all around the world to bet into a single pool. Racecourses which host World Pool racedays are believed to earn a dividend of over €500,000 per fixture.
A 14% dip in World Pool turnover on Saturday to €19.6 million (from €22.8 million in 2024) is believed to be linked to several factors. A four-runner edition of the Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes, all trained by the O’Brien family, reportedly saw mild trade in the market - especially following the key withdrawal of short-priced favourite Montreal on veterinary advice.
He was one of nine non-runners (excluding three reserves) on the Leopardstown card, and these withdrawals were also thought to negatively impact turnover.
However, what some believe was one of the most significant factors was the timing of the races last Saturday. In 2024, the Leopardstown fixture kicked off at 1.10pm and ran until 5.45pm, whereas this year it started and ended later (first race 2.15pm, last race 6.40pm).
With Hong Kong a massive driver in World Pool betting, this meant that the final Saturday race was sent to post there at 1.40am locally - likely leading to quieter activity in the closing races.
The World Pool day had also started early that Saturday thanks to Australian action, featuring the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington. The first of three World Pool races down under would have begun at 1.05pm in Hong Kong time - more than 12 hours before the last at Leopardstown.
In contrast, the Curragh’s World Pool turnover was actually up 7% versus the same figure in 2024 - coming in at €8.8 million (from €8.2 million).
Overall, the combined weekend turnover figure for the World Pool was €28.4 million, compared to €31.1 million in 2024.
Tote Ireland’s on-course and off-course turnover was down significantly last weekend. Saturday’s figure of €700,000 was effectively half of the 2024 figure and Sunday’s turnover at the Curragh was down 33% on the previous year.
A spokesperson for the Tote told The Irish Field: “International betting volumes [World Pool] showed a step back compared to last year’s fixture. Tote Ireland’s contribution mirrored this decline, with contraction evident across the wider Tote network but encouraging to note that the on-course betting bucked the downward trend, edging up by 11% at Leopardstown. While modest in scale, this increase highlights some resilience among racegoers on the ground.
“In terms of Leopardstown on Saturday, several factors help explain the overall cooling in activity. The card featured two short-priced 1/2 favourites, which dampened betting interest compared with last year when the shortest favourites traded closer to even money.
“Later race times also played a role. Leopardstown purposefully pushed the final race to a 6.40pm finish, aiming to enhance the experience for patrons on course and provide a fuller, more enjoyable evening. This move, however, shifted the final race out of prime betting hours for Hong Kong punters, with the last contest going off at 1.40am HK time - nearly an hour later than in 2024.
“This decision very much illustrates the careful balance between on-course customer satisfaction and sustaining international wagering volumes.
“The absence of Ryan Moore, a perennial draw for global punters, most likely resulted in further reduced turnover potential.
“Four races at the World Pool on Sunday were similarly included as part of the World Pool programme as was the case in 2024. Following on from Leopardstown the day before, Tote on-course business proved resilient again, up 12% on last year but unfortunately we continued to see decline across international partners for the second day.
“Whilst a number of factors were readily identifiable on the Saturday, we are currently engaging with our pooling partners to investigate reasons why the international handle was down versus 2024.”