STARTING tomorrow morning [Sunday], Irish punters can join the famously deep Hong Kong betting pools through thetote.com again after a six-week off-season break.

The racecards, previews and results will also be carried on The Irish Field website throughout the season.

The partnership between Tote Ireland and the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) started in May. After a brief taste towards the end of last season, it is sure to prove attractive to serious bettors.

Hong Kong boasts the biggest per-race betting turnover in the world.

Turnover per race among the various pools on offer typically reaches a figure in the region of €20 million and Irish players will initially be allowed to be bet into the Win, Place and Tierce (Trifecta pools).

On a race-to-race basis, it is hard to conceive of a more competitive racing environment anywhere in the world. The 1,200 or so horses in the Hong Kong system are divided between 24 trainers at present at Sha Tin with a maximum of 60 horses allowed per stable.

It is all flat racing. Full fields are always coveted by the HKJC to generate maximum turnover with fields of 14 sanctioned for Sha Tin and 12 for the tighter Happy Valley circuit. Only these two tracks are used.

Sha Tin is usually for weekend programmes starting at around 1pm local time (5am in Ireland in winter, 6am in summer) whereas Happy Valley is most often the venue for midweek cards starting at 7.15pm (11.15am in winter, 12.15pm summertime in Ireland).

Sha Tin also hosts a dirt track, similar to American dirt surfaces, and around 10% of HK’s races take place on this course. The vast majority of morning trackwork is conducted on the dirt also. The Sha Tin turf course is a galloping track of nine-furlong circumference with a home straight in excess of two furlongs. Happy Valley is a fraction over seven furlongs in circumference with the home straight of about a furlong-and-a-half.

TRACK BIAS

Track bias is always something that has to be monitored. For example, a rain-affected track on the dirt tends to favour front-runners. On the turf tracks, there are four different configurations used in rotation whereby the rail is pushed further out from the inside to allow the churned grass to be reseeded and regenerate.

Speed maps of predicted positions after settling can be found in the Speed Pro section of the Hong Kong Jockey Club website.

These maps are sourced by the HKJC from independent form experts judged on previous racing patterns and those established in trials, although they can only be deemed as a guide.

In terms of average distance, most of the races staged are for sprinters and milers. Horses from Australia and New Zealand make up the majority of the Hong Kong racing population although a sizeable pool of Irish-bred and formerly Irish-trained horses, comprising about 15% of the population, also regularly punch above their weight.

Champions of recent times in Hong Kong that have hailed from Ireland include Designs On Rome, Peniaphobia, Gold-Fun, Lucky Nine, Military Attack and Rich Tapestry.

Other Hong Kong champions since the turn of the century include the world champion sprinters Silent Witness and Sacred Kingdom, Royal Ascot winner Little Bridge, the brilliant Fairy King Prawn, world champion miler Able Friend, Viva Pataca and Dubai Sheema Classic winner Vengeance Of Rain.

It is a long list and the quality is constantly kept to a high standard since owners with permits are always keen to spend big to recruit the best thoroughbred talent from around the world.

Hong Kong racing might take a little getting used to, but many believe it represents the pinnacle of the sport and its introduction to the British racing public has proved very popular. Either way, the racing is very well organised, it is very competitive and can offer Irish punters a compelling alternative to the norm.

The races from Sha Tin and Happy Valley will continue to be shown live on At The Races and Racing UK this season.

PREVIEWS & RACECARDS: theirishfield.ie

BET INTO POOLS: thetote.com

MORE INFO: hkjc.com