World Pool Moment of the Day | Derby Day 2024: Tote dish out £4,000 prize

IT certainly wasn’t a Greek tragedy for those who backed City of Troy to win the Derby at Epsom last weekend.

In fact it was a feel-good story for his groom, David Hickey, who scooped a whopping £4,000 after Tote voted City Of Troy’s impressive victory as the World Pool Moment of the Day.

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All eyes were on City Of Troy, the beaten odds-on favourite from the 2000 Guineas, who was on a retrieval mission in the Derby itself.

Despite his barrier draw in stall one, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Justify colt weaved his way through the field under a masterful Ryan Moore ride, producing a special performance to power clear and win the Classic by two-and-three-quarter lengths.

It was a striking performance, and given the redemption arc the Coolmore-owned star has chartered, bookmakers Tote made him a worthy winner of the World Pool Moment of the Day.

City Of Troy is now the fourth Derby winner Hickey has looked after during his 27 years of working with the Ballydoyle team.

And despite City Of Troy’s doubters pre-race, of which there were many, it’s safe to say that Hickey had never lost the faith and was thrilled to receive the £4,000 prize.

Hickey said: “I was giving him a great chance. I know he was getting knocked because of the last day when things went wrong. Today City (Of Troy) came here and showed everyone what he can do, and really was brilliant.

“I’ve always believed in him. After the Guineas, I was disappointed myself, but I was more disappointed for the horse because I thought the world of him. And no one gave up on him in Ballydoyle.

“Everyone was hoping and praying that he’d do it today, which he did, and I’m delighted. It’s unbelievable. Thank you very much!”

Hickey now has the chance to win a VIP trip to Hong Kong if City Of Troy’s victory is chosen as the World Pool Moment of the Year.

But wasn’t the only person to benefit from the bookies with Tote Win beating the industry Starting Price (SP) in four of the eight races, and matching on the remaining 4 with Tote Guarantee.

The Tote Exacta beat the Forecast on seven out of eight races, the Tote Trifecta beat Tricast in eight out of eight races, while the Derby Days from Epsom in the UK and Eagle Farm in Australia set a new record for World Pool turnover, with 12 races across the two racedays generating over £38million!

If you missed it, don’t worry, there’s plenty of action still to come this summer with Royal Ascot and several other major events just around the corner.

This summer’s flat racing highlights;

• Royal Ascot: 18-22 June at Ascot
• The Coral Summer Festival: 5-6 July at Sandown Park
• The Boodles July Festival: 11-13 July at Newmarket
• King George Weekend: 26-27 July at Ascot
• Glorious Goodwood: 30 July – 3 August at Goodwood
• Ebor Festival: 21-24 August at York

Tote welcome offer: Get £30 bonus — claim here*

*New customers online only. Only valid with code B10G30PLUS50FS on registration. £10 min stake (if EW then min £10 Win + £10 Place). Receive £20 Tote Credit, £10 Free Bet and 50 Free Spins on selected game within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. Valid up to 7 days after registration. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org. Full T&Cs apply.

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