Graveyard For Favourite Backers at Royal Ascot 2009

Royal Ascot 2009 is over and after five days of fantastic racing action and with a total of 17 Group races from the 30 races run at the meeting nobody can argue that the meet was nothing less than a rousing success with the glitz and glamour of Ladies being the highlight of the week, especially for the gentlemen! However, from a betting perspective, who came out on top the bookmakers or the punters?

Punters got off to a great start after Canford Cliffs gave Favourite backers a great run for their money when winning the Coventry Stakes on Day One at Royal Ascot, there was very little else for favourite backers to be cheerful about afterwards for the remainder of the week.

It is true that Bookmakers took a well deserved mauling on the first day of the Royal meeting, but my goodness, how quickly did the situation turn round. Two favourites and two second favourites won on the first day and there was money too for Judgethemoment at who won in the Ascot Stakes, but the final winner of Day One, Strike The Tiger at 33/1 was a bolt out of the blue and little did those lovers of favourites know it was to set the scene for the rest of the week.

Day Two saw only one favourite come home at a price of 9/2. Amongst the other winners there was a 12/1 winner in the first race followed by a 10/1 shot in the second. A 7/1 and two at 4/1 fancies completed the day. Day Two was not a complete disaster for punters but for favourite backers it was. It was obvious to all that smiles were visibly resurfacing on the faces of the Bookies on the rails of the famous Royal Ascot Grandstand who had at least got themselves back on track following having their pockets emptied a day earlier.

Gold Cup Day was a huge triumph for Yeats the wonder horse, winning his fourth successive Gold Cup and giving the Bookies a pasting in the process. However, the other five races were won by 10/1, 5/1, 20/1, 8/1 and 66/1 resulting in bookmakers having just as good a day as Yeats and his Ballydoyle connections!

On Fridya, it was 2,000 Guineas winner, Ghaanati, who stamped her class at the meeting by winning the Coronation Stakes in great style when 2/1 favourite, but like Yeats the day before, she was the only favourite to get home on the day. The odds of the other winners on Friday were 16/1, 9/1, 8/1, 7/1 and 12/, making it another big day for the Bookies with favourite backers beginning to sweat blood and look towards Saturday to put them back in profit.

However Saturday was to be the worst day of them all for punters, with not one favourite winning. The day was started with Big Audio winning at 22/1, Bronze Cannon at 8/1, Art Connoisseur at 20/1, High Standing at 6/1 and Drill Sergeant at 14/1 completed the rout, dispatching of some well fancied runners in the process.

In the aftermath, it would appear that it was the bookies that were leaving Ascot with their pockets lined with gold and the punters digging deep to find enough for a taxi home and hope that another day brings more success!