Hong Kong tracks open to punters during behind-closed-doors Royal Ascot

Ascot might be preparing for a royal meeting behind closed doors but officials in Hong Kong have decided to open the gates at Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses for punters wishing to bet on the action 6,000 miles away in Berkshire.

Tote Superpools that are combined with those from Hong Kong and other leading racing nations will be available on all 36 races at Royal Ascot and the Hong Kong Jockey Club has decided to allow access to both its racecourses for punters to deposit or withdraw money from accounts, open or reactivate accounts and place bets on the Royal Ascot races.

All off-course betting shops remain closed due to Covid-19 restrictions in Hong Kong but, provided they pass strict health checks, customers will be allowed access to either track between 10am and 6.30pm from Monday to Friday.

They will be required to undergo temperature screening, wear a surgical mask and fill in a health declaration form before doing so.

The Tote Superpools follow on from the World Pool that ran at the royal meeting last year, with the aim to create a more robust market with far greater liquidity that people can bet into without fear of a big wager creating a huge price drop.

The action from Royal Ascot will again be broadcast across the globeCredit: Edward Whitaker

The World Pool operated on a limited number of bets in 2019, including the win pool for 24 of the 30 Royal Ascot races as the system was unable to process races with more than 24 runners.

However, with field sizes limited to 24, the enhanced pools will be available for every race at this year's expanded meeting, which despite being run behind closed doors from Tuesday is expected to have a significant global audience.

"The international rights distribution will be broadly the same as usual," confirmed Ascot's head of public relations Nick Smith. "The World Pool in Hong Kong will operate like it did last year for the first time, with full coverage of all 36 races going to Hong Kong live."

Last year money invested into all the pools run at the royal meeting totalled £92 million compared to £17m in 2018, an increase of 440 per cent, although this year's pools will not benefit from money bet on course.

By hosting the combined pools, the HKJC plays an integral role during Royal Ascot, gathering the bets placed from across the globe.

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