NEWS
Asian Racing Conference focuses on pool commingling
Posted: Thursday, January 25, 2007 4:35 PM
Commingling of pari-mutuel wagering pools dominated discussion in the fifth session of the Asian Racing Conference in Dubai on Wednesday.
Robert Charley, chairman of the session and outgoing vice chairman of the Asian Racing Federation, concluded by saying: “I am delighted to detect an absolute sense of urgency.
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Executive Director of racing at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, stressed the importance of commingling for future success.
“Hong Kong has placed a lot of importance on bringing people together from around the world as seen by the Hong Kong International Races, and commingling is a vital anchor in carrying this on,” he said. “We can facilitate this—it is commercially viable—and people will see results in the near future.”
Engelbrecht-Bresges said opening Hong Kong’s pools to other racing countries produced an estimated 50% increase in pool size and a significantly bigger size of exotic pools.
Louis Romanet, director general of France Galop, said France would move forward with commingling as soon as he returned.
Michael Goss, of Summerhill Stud in South Africa, also spoke in favor of commingling.
“Through the eyes of a layman the possibilities [for co-mingling] are endless,” he said. “We have to seize the day.”
