Weekend Review: Bookies asked ‘why the long face?’ after Enable victory

The layers endured a horrible horseracing weekend as favourite filly Enable stormed home in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly.

Frankie Dettori’s fifth victory in European horseracing’s premier race was described as a bloodbath by Kindred’s Ali Gill as the bookmaker was made to suffer when all six races were won by British and Irish-trained horses.

BetVictor had offered 2/1 for John Gosden-trained Enable to win the race by two or more lengths.

Spokesperson Jack Milner said: “A clean sweep for British and Irish runners on Arc day ensured a disastrous day for bookmakers with superstar filly Enable obliging for punters in the feature.

“She was one of a number of well-backed favourites to win at Chantilly with Happily, Battaash and Aclaim all scoring yesterday afternoon, but it was Enable that did the most damage.”

Betway’s Alan Alger labelled Enable’s win as disastrous but added the bookies’ losses were absorbed by the football results on Sunday.

“Man City were largely friendless in the game of the weekend in the Premier League after winning away at Chelsea, but once again our saviours were the Merseyside teams, as both Everton and Liverpool failed to win, knocking out lots of weekend accas and single bets,” he said.

It was football action on the continent that saved Kindred Group this weekend, as reigning Italian champions Juventus threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Atalanta.

“That result was undoubtedly a seven-figure swing,” said Gill.

“It was an absolute game changer for us, swinging from huge single match bets and accumulators coming in right around the country, to a massive win for the layers on both of those counts.”