The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced that it has renewed a five-year World Pool partnership agreement with Ascot Racecourse to continue to promote racing as a global sport.

The HKJC and Ascot Racecourse initiated the first World Pool partnership in 2019. The renewal agreement, signed at Royal Ascot on Friday (23 June), will run from 1 July, 2023 until 2028.

The agreement will cover the commingling of bets into the World Pool as well as an integrity feed and other information which the HKJC will be permitted to transmit at its racecourses and betting outlets in Hong Kong, or re-transmit to television and radio broadcasters as well as mobile phone operators.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, said: “World Pool offers the best international racing for customers across the globe. The five-year renewal of the agreement with Ascot Racecourse demonstrates the Club’s strong commitment to our World Pool partnership and underlines an unwavering belief in the benefits of World Pool for horseracing internationally.

“In the four years since we launched World Pool at Royal Ascot, the Club has forged – and enhanced – a host of World Pool partnerships around the world and we are delighted at the significant progress achieved so far.”

“The Club looks forward to working closely with Ascot in the future with a mutual goal of delivering benefits to horseracing globally, enabling our partners to make significant investments in horseracing, while also delivering world-class entertainment for our customers, who are able to enjoy unmatched liquidity and value from commingling partners in 25 countries and regions,” Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges added.

Since its introduction, World Pool has developed significantly with Royal Ascot turnover alone growing from HK$1.09 billion in 2019 to HK$1.76 billion in 2022, generating greater value for customers and allowing participating clubs to make substantial investments for the betterment of horseracing.

The five-day Royal Ascot meeting and the King George Stakes Day and QIPCO British Champions Day meetings at Ascot Racecourse are all part of the World Pool Programmes operated by the HKJC.

Alastair Warwick, Ascot Racecourse Chief Executive, said: “Our relationship with the Hong Kong Jockey Club is an amazing partnership and shows how global the sport is becoming. I couldn’t be happier with the support that Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges and the team at the Hong Kong Jockey Club have provided.

“This is our fifth year of doing World Pool – the time has flown by. As one of the key instigators, it really doesn’t feel like it was five years ago that we were doing our first World Pool.”

Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products, at the HKJC, said: “The partnership is great for us, for Ascot and for racing generally around the world. The continuity of big brands working together for the benefit of racing has been really important in bringing familiarity of the product, and of the betting markets, to customers around the globe. Working together to really promote racing in a truly global sense has been brilliant for everybody.

“We know that our customers are familiar with UK racing, especially Ascot. Thousands of people are watching Royal Ascot this week in Hong Kong as Wellington runs in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes. We are all very keen for Hong Kong to put its own horses on the map, and the World Pool unites everybody in a way that’s never really been done before and we are very proud of working with Ascot and other racetracks.”

Felicity Barnard, Commercial Director at Ascot Racecourse, said: “This is exciting for Ascot and exciting for racing in general. The relationship has grown and grown and this renewal shows that the Hong Kong Jockey Club invested in racing across the world. It gives us the opportunity to expand what we are doing on the global stage so we are absolutely thrilled.

“All the revenue we generate, we look to invest in the business so our partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club is incredibly important to allow us to invest a significant amount into prize money. That in turn generates better-quality runners and a better product for World Pool customers.”