Saudi Cup betting turnover breaks into World Pool's all-time top five

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) has confirmed that betting turnover on the Saudi Cup reached a record high, placing the race among the five most bet-on events on World Pool since the platform began operating in 2019.

The race, won by Japan’s Forever Young ahead of Hong Kong’s Romantic Warrior, drew a full field of 14 runners, matching last year’s line-up. Turnover on World Pool bet types for the race climbed 38% year-on-year to HK$62.64m (around £6.4m), a new record for the fixture.

When combined with turnover from five earlier races at Caulfield in Australia, the 12-race cross-card World Pool fixture generated a total of HK$382m, making it the third-highest turnover day in World Pool’s history.

Hong Kong interest drives turnover

Sam Nati, Head of Commingling at the HKJC, said the presence of Romantic Warrior had proved a major draw for local bettors, contributing to the surge in turnover despite the horse’s narrow defeat. He described the field as the strongest yet assembled for the Saudi Cup and said the meeting had become a fixture on the international racing calendar, with the HKJC planning to return next year.

Nati added that the World Pool format, which paired the Saudi Arabian card with races from Caulfield for the second year running, had drawn strong betting interest across both meetings.

Wider rankings

The Saudi Cup now ranks fourth on the all-time list of top World Pool races by turnover, behind three Royal Ascot and Epsom contests from 2022 and 2023. The combined race day placed third among the highest-turnover World Pool days on record, behind meetings held in October 2024 and June 2024.

Upcoming World Pool fixtures include race days in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa throughout March.