Racing: Scoop6 slowly away

SCOOP6, THE Tote's twice-as-expensive-to-enter-as-the- National-Lottery-and-several-times-harder-to-understand new multiple bet, got off to a slow start on Saturday when the pool failed to reach its pounds 250,000 guarantee and had no winner.

Four races from Ascot, televised live on BBC1, and one each from Newcastle and Market Rasen - both live on Channel 4 - formed the inaugural "superbet". However, the pool fell short of its pounds 250,000 target, leaving the Tote having to subsidise it to the tune of pounds 50,000. Moreover, although the place fund paid a dividend of pounds 129.90, there was no winner of the win fund, leaving a carryover of pounds 68,780 to this Saturday's Scoop6 and a further carry-over of pounds 55,000 into the bonus pool which will be won by the first Scoop6 winner to then nominate the winner of the big race the following Saturday.

The Scoop6 replaced the Jackpot and there were complaints from some racegoers at Ascot that there was no Jackpot in operation there and that Scoop6 punters at the main meeting were therefore left having to monitor races from Newcastle and Market Rasen.

Ian Davies