Breeders' Cup handle in Japan, Hong Kong totals $14.8 million
Separate-pool wagering on five Breeders’ Cup races offered in Japan and Hong Kong on Saturday was a total of approximately $14.8 million, the Breeders’ Cup said.
In Japan, bettors wagered $11.7 million on three Breeders’ Cup races, the Filly and Mare Turf, the Mile, and the Turf, according to the Breeders’ Cup. In Hong Kong, bettors wagered $3.1 million on two races, the Mile and the Turf.
Japan-based horses won two races on the Saturday Breeders’ Cup card, the Filly and Mare Turf and the Distaff. In all, seven horses based in Japan ran in the Breeders’ Cup this year, the largest number by far from the country. Prior to Saturday, Japan-based horses had never won a Breeders’ Cup race.
Loves Only You won the Filly and Mare Turf at odds of 4.30-1, the third choice in the race. She paid $10.60 to win in the U.S.-based commingled pool but was 1.60-1 in the separate-pool hosted in Japan as the favorite, according to information provided by Breeders’ Cup. Loves Only You was a multiple group-stakes winner coming into the race and had won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in Hong Kong two starts prior to the Filly and Mare Turf.
Marche Lorraine won the Distaff by a nose at 49.90-1. She benefited from a torrid pace through the first six furlongs of the 1 1/8-mile race and was among a raft of closers to perform well in the race. The Distaff was not offered as a separate pool in Japan.
Breeders’ Cup has been attempting to draw horses from East Asia for a decade in an attempt to gain access to wagering markets there, some of the richest in the world. The last time Japan hosted a separate pool on a Breeders’ Cup race was 2016, for the Filly and Mare Turf. Total betting was $7.5 million, though Japan’s entrant in the race, Nuovo Record, finished 11th at odds of 19.60-1.
Most East Asian markets have protectionist restrictions on the number of races that can be imported into the countries, but some of the markets, like Japan, allow for the importation of a limited number of races that include Japan-based runners.