Totepool looking for punters to take aim at monster pots again

Wednesday marks the second meeting at Hong Kong's Happy Valley for which British punters will be able to bet directly into the territory's monster pools.

While Sunday meetings at Sha Tin fall largely outside regular shop hours, the midweek fare at Happy Valley offers a perfect lead into the afternoon coverage from Britain and Ireland.

Today's eight-race card begins at 11.15am GMT, with the last race off at 2.55pm.

Access to the pools operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club should prove a big attraction to British-based pari-mutuel punters, given the levels of liquidity.

While Totepool's parent company, Betfred, are still a little way off being able to offer Hong Kong pool betting through online and digital platforms, evidence from last Wednesday's meeting suggested Happy Valley proved popular with shop customers.

"It was a successful start to our Hong Kong coverage," said Totepool's operations manager Steve Burke on Tuesday. "Totepool betting from Happy Valley was on offer in all Betfred and Coral shops, and will be again tomorrow.

"We're hopeful that betting on Hong Kong will soon be available in Ladbrokes shops."

Burke believes the offer will be extended online soon, bringing Irish-based punters into play.

"Betting online into Hong Kong pools is not yet available through Totepool channels, said Burke. "This is being looked into and should be available in the near future."