The Punters were celebrating their greatest week of results at Royal Ascot in the modern era, according to Ladbrokes. It was a remarkable meeting, a total contrast to Cheltenham where the bookies won hands down.
Royal Ascot Betting,Punters Won
The five day meeting at Royal Ascot saw the bookies handing millions of quid back to their customers as favourite after favourite obliged to reward hundreds of thousands of racing fans. Imagine if England had beaten Algeria? As it goes that was a huge winner for the bookmakers, so its not all bad.
I have had a wonderful Royal Ascot Betting week. I hope you have enjoyed our Royal Ascot Betting Podcasts, we are definitely ahead, well ahead on the week. Its about time we gave the bookies a bashing. Cheltenham was a killer, Royal Ascot was a fantastic week. I have loved it.
David Williams of Ladbrokes said: “Punters have never had it so good. Every single day they’ve given us a right royal bashing. Nobody at Royal Ascot can remember a meeting where we’ve suffered such punishment. We can’t wait to get out of Royal Berkshire so that we can lick our wounds in a darkened room. Thank goodness for the England football team. They are our only salvation in a week of misery for the bookies.”
If the layers thought that Royal Ascot had been bad going into the final day, they had no idea what was about to hit them as a huge plunge on Wokingham winner Laddies Poker Two meant punters ended the Royal meeting on a high.
Freely available at 25/1 two weeks before the race, Jeremy Noseda’s mare had been steadily supported in the ante-post market before a massive gamble saw her price contract from double figures to an eventual SP of 9/2.
‘Punters have clawed back their Cheltenham losses and more after a woeful week for the layers,’ said totesport spokesman George Primarolo. ‘At this rate, we’ll need Honduras to win the World Cup to make the balance sheet look respectable!’
Earlier on the card, both Harbinger and the well-backed Starspangledbanner had put the bookmakers on the back foot but there was a crumb of comfort after Cill Rialaig managed to hold off the fast-finishing Imposing to take the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes at 16/1.
Britain’s bookies are battered, bruised and bloodied after the worst set of Royal Ascot results for decades.
“It has been carnage, no other word for it,” said David Hood, spokesman for William Hill.
“What is it about Ascot? For some bookies the five consecutive losing days for 2010, will make the infamous Dettori day look like a round of drinks.”
The two biggest gambles of the week were landed by Dandino and Laddies Poker Two and if Imposing had gone in, there wouldn’t have been enough cash on-course to pay punters! They have literally won tens of millions of pounds this week.”
Just five winners obliged at double-figure odds (10-1 or bigger) throughout 30 races of the week, with 13 winning favourites passing the post first for punters.
ROYAL ASCOT – HOW THE BOOKIES GOT BATTERED
DAY ONE
11/8 Goldikova – fav
9/2 Equiano- 2nd fav
11/4 Canford Cliffs – joint-fav
15/8 Strong Suit – fav
17/2 Junior
9/2 Marine Commando
DAY TWO
8/1 Rainfall
9/2 Strawberrydaiquri
5/2 Byword – fav
28/1 Invisible Man
9/4 Maqaasid – fav
5/1 Timepiece
DAY THREE
16/1 Approve
4/1 Hibaayeb joint-fav
20/1 Rite of Passage
9/1 Ransom Note
9/4 Afsare – fav
7/1 Dandino
DAY FOUR
15/2 Memory
7/2 Monterosso
7/2 Lillie Langtry – fav
13/8 Rainbow Peak – fav
2/1 Mikhail Glinka – fav
14/1 Treadwell
DAY FIVE
7/1 Zaidan
8/11 Harbinger – fav
13/2 Starspangledbanner – fav
9/2 Laddies Poker Two – fav
16/1 Cillig Rialaig
Harbinger 10/1 for the Arc after Hardwicke rout
Harbinger has been installed as a 10/1 chance by totesport for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp after running away with the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot this afternoon.
The 8/11 favourite travelled powerfully under Ryan Moore and pulled effortlessly away from the field when asked for his effort to score by three and a half lengths from Duncan.
‘Harbinger was extremely impressive when running away with the Hardwicke and is clearly getting better with every run,’ said totesport spokesman George Primarolo. ‘He could be a live contender for the Arc come October.’
Zaidan was a formidable winner of the Chesham Stakes earlier on the card for Clive Brittain and has been given a quote of 20/1 by totesport for next year’s 2000 Guineas although his trainer did state that a tilt at the Kentucky Derby could be on the cards.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – totesport bet: 3 Workforce, 5 Fame And Glory, 6 Lope de Vega, 10 Byword, Harbinger, 12 St Nicholas Abbey, 16 Dar Re Mi, Sariska.
2000 Guineas: 9 Strong Suit, 16 Elzaam, 20 Zaidan.
