Hong Kong Racing
World Pool returns with fixtures from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
12 races, including nine G1s, commingled across four-fixture composite card
World Pool travels across the southern hemisphere this weekend, commingling 12 races, including nine Group 1s, across four fixtures from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa on Saturday 7 March.
World Pool customers in 27 jurisdictions will be able to bet on the action across the four racedays – New Zealand Derby Day, Newmarket Handicap Day, Canterbury Stakes Day and the H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes Day, a new World Pool fixture for 2026.
New Zealand's richest raceday begins the global action in Auckland following a successful World Pool debut last year. The Group 1 HKJC World Pool New Zealand Derby is renowned for producing future staying stars – and potentially a 2027 Hong Kong Derby contender or two – while the Group 1 New Zealand Stakes, headlined by top-class mare Legarto, the consistent Pier and Australian visitor Kingswood, along with the Group 1 Sistema Stakes are the top-level contests on the card.
The country's richest race, the NZB Kiwi for three-year-olds – now in its second year – also features among the five races from Ellerslie and offers the chance to see a filly labelled the next big thing in Australasian racing, unbeaten superstar Well Written.
Shortly afterwards, the World Pool action continues across the Tasman Sea in Australia with four Group 1 races split between Sydney and Melbourne, all in one epic hour.
History and innovation collide at Melbourne's iconic Flemington Racecourse with the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap, known as the sprinters' Melbourne Cup with a history dating back to 1874, taking place alongside the Group 3 Matron Stakes.
Godolphin three-year-old Tentyris, already a two-time World Pool race winner this season in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning, headlines a competitive field in the Newmarket.
At Randwick, the Group 1 Randwick Guineas for three-year-olds sees Autumn Boy attempting to join his sire The Autumn Sun in completing the Caulfield Guineas and Randwick Guineas double, while the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes features Ascot-bound Joliestar and her classy stablemates Lady Shenandoah and Beiwacht.
World Pool then returns to South Africa to debut on H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes Day from Turffontein, with three Group 1 races set to be commingled.
The feature Group 1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes will see two of this year's South African World Pool race winners clash, with See It Again, winner of the Group 1 Cape Town Met when last seen, and Group 1 King's Plate winner, The Real Prince, going head-to-head.
The other top-level World Pool races, the Group 1 SA Fillies Classic and the Group 1 HKJC World Pool SA Classic, are both important stepping stones for three-year-old horses towards tackling older horses.
Flemington's Newmarket Handicap appeared in the 2023 list of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities Top 100 Group 1 races, while Randwick's Canterbury Stakes appeared in both the 2023 and 2024 lists and the H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes also featured in 2024.
The World Pool bet types available on each of the four fixtures are as follows:
New Zealand Derby Day: Win, Place, Quinella, Quinella Place (Duet), Tierce (Trifecta), Double, Treble
Newmarket Handicap Day: Win, Place, Quinella, Quinella Place (Duet), Tierce (Trifecta)
Canterbury Stakes Day: Win, Place, Quinella, Quinella Place (Duet), Tierce (Trifecta)
H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes Day: Win, Place, Quinella, Quinella Place (Swinger), Forecast (Exacta)
*Not every partner is taking all these bet-types so please refer to latest information by the operator(s) in your region.
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