Ascot to host first World Pool races as TABtouch Pinnacles opens

Ascot will stage Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool races for the first time during this year’s TABtouch Pinnacles, with the last three races on Winterbottom Stakes day on November 28 to be offered to the global pools, Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) said.

The carnival opens on Saturday with the $500,000 Placid Ark Stakes (1200 metres) and runs over five consecutive Saturdays.

It offers almost $11 million in prize money across 16 black-type races, four of them worth $1.5 million each: the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600 metres) on November 21, the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200 metres) on November 28, the Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800 metres) on December 5 and the weight-for-age Gold Rush (1400 metres) on December 12.

“When leading trainers are willing to bring their horses across the country to compete in Perth, it’s a strong endorsement of the quality of our racing, programming and the experience we deliver throughout the TABtouch Pinnacles,” RWWA chief racing officer David Hunter said.

The carnival comes as RWWA, which has held prize money for 2026/27, warns its funding model will need revenue growth or revised settings from 2027/28.