Brilliant overseas action – and big pools – for local punters.
Local racing is taking a breather from big-race action this weekend, but racing fans have the consolation of elite-level overseas action – The Everest in Australia and Champions’ Day in the UK.
Both Saturday race meetings are World Pool events, giving South African punters access to the world’s biggest comingled pots, which are run out of Hong Kong.
Sydney Spring Racing Carnival
The Everest, at Randwick racecourse in Sydney, is currently the world’s richest race with a prize of A$20-million (R235-million!). It’s a “buy-in”, slot-holder race that stirred controversy in Australia this week when it was made a Group 1 – with influential bloodstock purists refusing to acknowledge that status.
None of that bothers us, though; finding a winner is our sole concern.
Reports suggest a very strong field of 12 has been finalised, with last year’s runner-up I Wish I Win installed as the early favourite. Multiple Group 1-winning mare Bella Nipolina and stablemate Growing Empire have plenty of supporters, as do the younger brigade, Traffic Warden and Joliestar.
The last eight races from the 2024 Sydney Spring Racing Carnival will be broadcast by DStv on Racing 240 – from 4.40am.
TAB Win, Place, Quinella and Swinger bets on Races 6 to 10 at Randwick will be commingled into the World Pool tote. Excluding World Pool bet types and races, the usual range of commingled Tabcorp pools will be in operation for TAB customers (Win, Place, Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Quartet, Rolling Double and Jackpot). But there will be no Trifecta pools on Races 6 to 10.
Champions Day
Later in the day comes one of the biggest UK race meetings of the year, the Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot, a six-race blockbuster that brings down the curtain on the British flat season.
It boasts R90-million in prize money, with four Group 1 events and all TAB Win, Place, Exacta, Quinella, Swinger and Trifecta bets commingled into the World Pool.
Quartet pools, plus the Place Accumulator and Jackpot, will be hosted by TAB locally. Race 1 at Ascot is off at 2.20pm.
The Ascot highlight is likely to be the Champion Stakes over 1800m, with its fierce rivalry between two brilliant three-year-olds – French trained Calandagan and Britain’s own Economics. Waiting to pick up the pieces is Aiden O’Brien-trained Los Angeles, who battled into third in the recent Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
