TAB customers are in for a bumper Saturday that encompasses one of Australia’s biggest racedays, the world’s greatest steeplechase at Aintree in England and a R500,000 Pick 6 carryover at Hollywoodbets Greyville, where two races with prize money totalling R8 million top the card.
Punters will have to be up before birds to catch the start of the Royal Randwick meeting, which forms part of the famed Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. The A$5-million Queen Elizabeth Stakes headlines the 10-race programme, which contains four Grade 1 and three Grade 2 contests. Race 1 starts at 03:45.
All TAB Win, Place, Quinella and Swinger bets on the meeting will be commingled into the Hong Kong World Pool tote, offering customers the chance to land some sizeable payouts.
Unbeaten four-year-old filly Autumn Glow, a daughter of former South African champion sprinter Via Africa, is odds-on favourite for the 2000m weight-for-age race and with good cause because she’s unbeaten after 11 career starts.
The Hollywoodbets Greyville meeting kicks off some three hours after the last race at Randwick and a R500,000 Pick 6 carryover is expected to generate a total pool of some R3 million.
Two races open to graduates of Race Coast sales top the nine-race meeting - the R5-million Race Coast Sales Big Cap over 1400m and the R3-million Race Coast Sales Slipper for two-year-olds.
And late in the afternoon comes the Randox Grand National, a gruelling 6940m marathon over 30 fences. This is Britain’s biggest horseracing event and it’s a breath-taking spectacle watched by more than 600-million viewers in over 100 countries.
Trainer Willie Mullins saddled a historic 1-2-3 in the race a year ago and is set to saddle eight runners this time round headed by I Am Maximus, currently favourite at 7-1. I Am Maximus won the National in 2024 and was only narrowly beaten a year ago.
TAB will offer the usual range of bets on the race with Win, Place, Exacta, Swinger and Trifecta pools commingled into the UK Tote. TAB retail customers are reminded that TAB betting forms show only 30 runners so any bets including horse numbers higher than 30 must be called to the teller