‘We're sweating' – Three Royal Ascot runners the bookies DREAD winning amid surge of support for Aidan O'Brien ‘freak'
BOOKIES have revealed the three Royal Ascot runners they DREAD winning - amid an 'unusual' surge of support for an Aidan O'Brien 'freak'.
With a whopping 35 races to get stuck into across five days, Ascot presents a punting puzzle arguably like no other.
1
Superstar miler Rosallion is being backed to get revenge for his Lockinge defeat
Credit: PA
But one filly is standing head and shoulders above the rest after she absolutely blitzed rivals on debut.
Zelaina was all the rage with punters who saw the
Jockey James Doyle could hardly hide his delight after and admitted the potential star had 'a hell of an engine'.
She was immediately made 4-1 favourite for Wednesday's Queen Mary on the back of that, but William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps revealed the money had not stopped pouring in.
He said: "Royal Ascot is only around the corner and we're champing at the bit for the five-day extravaganza to start.
"While there's not quite the same ante-post fervour around this meeting as there is for Cheltenham, there are still a number of horses who'll soon have us sweating under our top hats and tails.
"Zelaina created a huge impression on her debut for Karl Burke, and we laid a good chunk at 4-1 for her to win the Queen Mary.
"And after Burke was so effusive in his praise for the filly, she's been backed again into 7-4.
Most read in Horse Racing
"She is currently our worst liability across the meeting."
Royal Ascot best-backed horses
Zelaina
– Queen Mary Stakes – 7-4 from 4-1
Rosallion
– Queen Anne Stakes – 3-1 from 9-2
Storm Boy
– Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes – 6-1 from 16-1
My Cloud
– Royal Hunt Cup – 5-1 from 8-1
The Liffey
– Royal Hunt Cup – 10-1 from 20-1
Handicap hotpots
William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said: "We've managed to dodge two big liabilities already with Kyprios and Albert Einstein sadly ruled out of the meeting, but it's in the handicaps where we've also seen horses catch our eye.
"In the Royal Hunt Cup, we've had to cut My Cloud into 5-1 favourite from 8-1 after some bullish comments from Roger Varian in a stable tour.
"Varian is a master at bringing horses like this through the grades, and this fella looks like one we'll want to get beat next week.
"There's also been some notable money for Joseph O'Brien's The Liffey in the same race.
"The Carriganóg team think this guy is a really well-handicapped runner, and that kind of confidence has to be respected.
"Between My Cloud and The Liffey, the Royal Hunt Cup could be a race we're watching from behind the back of the sofa."
Phelps picked out one superstar miler and a potentially awesome O'Brien sprinter as the other two they fear the most.
He said: "While Rosallion didn't win the Lockinge, punters seem to have warmed to him since.
"He was 9-2 straight after his defeat to Lead Artist at Newbury, but it seems that many think that form will be reversed in the Queen Anne, so much so that he's now a 3-1 shot.
"We expect him to be popular on the day too once people realise they can back last year's uber impressive St James's Palace winner at around 3-1.
"One liability that's a little more unusual is Storm Boy in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee.
"He looked fairly lacklustre when making his Irish debut at the Curragh last month, and he drifted right out to 16s for Royal Ascot afterwards but has been all the rage since.
"He's now a strong 6-1 shot and the weight of money behind him suggests that Aidan O'Brien has worked his magic on this Aussie import."
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