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Carry on winning from afar

Wilfred Yan: “I started following Hong Kong horse racing some 20 years ago. I am glad I can continue my hobby in Canada.”

“I enjoy the thrill of picking the winner, whether on trackside or from afar,” says Wilfred Yan, a Hong Kong native who moved to Toronto in 2015. “I started following Hong Kong horse racing some 20 years ago. I am glad I can continue my hobby in Canada.”

Wilfred is able to bet on races at Happy Valley and Sha Tin from the other side of the world thanks to a commingling partnership that The Hong Kong Jockey Club formed with the Woodbine Entertainment Group in 2016.

Hong Kong racing was popular for many years in Canada due to obvious cultural ties, and punters placed bets into small, domestically generated pools. Under the commingling model, bets placed in Canada are now funnelled to the Club’s much larger ‘home’ pools.

Wilfred said the commingling innovation meets the demands of overseas racing fans and brings quality Hong Kong horse racing to a much wider audience, including the large Cantonese-speaking population worldwide.

“When I first moved to Canada, there wasn’t really a way to follow Hong Kong racing,” recalls Wilfred. Before there was commingling, punters in Canada would have to go to a betting shop if they wanted to watch Hong Kong racing live and place bets. But the time difference meant only the most avid racing fan would visit an operator in the small hours of the morning to follow an afternoon race card in Sha Tin.

Wilfred Yan moved to Toronto seven years ago. Then as now, he is passionate about Hong Kong horse racing. (Photo provided by interviewee)
Hong Kong horse racing is better quality and more entertaining than Canada’s, says Wilfred Yan. (Photo provided by interviewee)

“I prefer Hong Kong racing not only because I’m familiar with it, but it’s better quality and more entertaining than racing in Canada.”

“With commingling, I can bet on Hong Kong races from an online account I opened with a Canadian operator and enjoy the more attractive winnings from a much larger pool.” He adds that the wealth of data on horses and past races available on the Club’s website is a valuable resource for analytical punters like him.

“I prefer Hong Kong racing not only because I’m familiar with it, but it’s better quality and more entertaining than racing in Canada,” says Wilfred, “Hong Kong racing has won fans all over the world also because it is so well-organised and clean.”

Did you know?

In the 2021/22 racing season, the Club cooperated with over 65 commingling partners in 25 countries and jurisdictions, and commingling contributed some 18.3 per cent of its overall horse racing turnover was HK$25.7 billion. The arrangements, which began in the 2013/14 season, showed the worldwide appeal of Hong Kong racing, which has galloped on throughout the pandemic. More importantly, the extra avenue enables the Club to maintain and increase its strong levels of tax and charity contributions to Hong Kong society.

Through World Pool the Club is now expanding the concept, with Hong Kong fast emerging as a global hub for commingling on the world’s top race meetings. Launched in 2019 on Royal Ascot, World Pool has since increased to 21 overseas race meetings.

Information updated to June 2022

The popularity of commingling shows the worldwide appeal of Hong Kong racing, which has galloped on throughout the pandemic.
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