Royal Ascot bookie loses £367,000 after five favourites win on Ladies Day
Star Sports described it as 'a black, black day' which started with the shortest priced favourite of the week, Charles Darwin, landing the first race
A Royal Ascot bookie lost £367,000 on Ladies Day after favourites won five of the seven races. The five day royal meeting is the biggest betting event of the year in Flat racing when many high rollers are present to place large bets with the bookmakers in the betting ring.
Star Sports, which has two pitches on the site, has a reputation for accepting bets of up to six figures. But once the day started with the odds-on Aidan O'Brien-trained Charles Darwin capturing the first race, there was little respite thereafter.
Kaan Hughes, head of Star Sports on course, said: 'It's a painful start after yesterday was good. We've given it all back and more in the first, a bad, bad result.
'All the faces were on and they knew. We've done six figures in the first and we done the each way money in the third. Between the two firms we are on the back foot early. It's only going to get worse at this stage.'
More detail was shared on Simon Nott's Star Sports blog which related that one punter placed a £40,000 bet to win £50,000 on Charles Darwin with Star Sports and in the next the firm paid out one of £20,000 staked on second race winner Merchant, collecting £70,000. The pitch lost nearly £60,000 on the race.
The biggest bet taken on the Gold Cup was one of £42,500 on Trawlerman, who made all the running to take the feature prize.
In the sixth race Trinity College was the fourth favourite to win with Nott commenting: 'It appeared the big punters wanted to finish Star Sports off on the day, not just the meeting.'
In the final race, won by another favourite Never So Brave, the firm had taken a bet of £10,000 which earned them £50,000.
'The Tatts book lost £15,849 but the rail won £2,781 on the race and copped £15,276 on the day, the Tatts pitch fared less well, losing £367,990. A black black day."
The results were bad for bookmakers betting off course as well and William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said: 'When five winning favourites go in on a Royal Ascot card, us bookies are always going to be licking our wounds.
'Charles Darwin, Merchant, Trawlerman, Trinity College and Never So Brave's wins have seen the punters begin to claw back after the first two days saw us well clear, but it's still all to play for in the final two days.
'Friday's business looks to be defined by the Coronation Stakes and the Commonwealth Cup. If we can get either Falakeyah or Zarigana beat in the Coronation, that'll be a real touch, and the same can be said for Shadow Of Light in the Commonwealth Cup.'
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