Weekend Review: Bookies come out ahead on racing while Schauffele lands golf's Claret Jug
With horseracing, golf and Formula 1 all in action over the course of the weekend, bookmakers saw a number of results go their way, including a surprise winner in the Hungarian Grand Prix
Last weekend was a busy one on the horseracing front, with 12/1 rated Caburn going the distance at Newbury and winning the Wetherby’s Super Sprint.
The two-year-old, ridden by Dylan Hogan, got the better of the widely backed Vingegaard by a neck to spring a surprise victory for trainer Jack Jones.
Kindred Group’s Ali Gill admitted this result was one that was welcomed by the bookmakers, as he explained: “That was a fair positive swing for the traders and we came out nicely ahead on that result, in a meeting with only one winning favourite across the board.”
Alan Firkins of Betfred also reflected on the weekend’s racing, touching on the action at Curragh as he added: “Aidan O’Brien’s Tower Of London was fully 15 lengths adrift of stablemate Grosvenor Square at the 2f pole, but sensationally swooped later under Ryan Moore to take a Curragh Group 2 on Saturday.
“It was a display that screamed Melbourne Cup, for which the Galileo colt was duly clipped to 14/1 from 20s.”
Elsewhere, the 16/1 rated Xander Schauffele ran out triumphant in The Open Championship to build on the momentum garnered with his US PGA title earlier this year.
Despite the difficult weather conditions on display at Royal Troon Golf Club, Firkins revealed: “Xander was very popular with our shrewd punters.”
It wasn’t a similar story at Kindred Group when it came to The Open, as Gill revealed: “A round of six under saw him [Schauffele] finish two clear of Justin Rose and Billy Horschel to claim his second major of the year.
“However, he wasn’t really on punters’ minds through the week before storming through the field on the final day, and so that outright result was a great one for the book.”
Meanwhile, Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix was a dramatic one that produced a first-time winner in Oscar Piastri.
It was an afternoon to forget for Red Bull superstar Max Verstappen, who ended up in fifth position, extending his winless run to three races in the process.
Gill addressed how Kindred fared on the F1 front: “A topsy turvy F1 season continued with a seventh race winner already, Oscar Piastri taking the checkered flag in Hungary.
“Verstappen has now gone three races without a win, making race markets far more interesting and competitive. On this occasion Piastri’s first full-race win in F1 was another good result for our book,” he added.
This weekend also saw an iconic darts fixture take place in the form of the Betfred World Matchplay in Blackpool.
It was a hotly contested final, but despite a late Michael van Gerwen fightback, world champion Luke Humphries added the Matchplay crown to his CV with an 18-15 win.
A delighted Humphries explained: “I feel so blessed to have my name on that trophy. I am absolutely over the moon. I am emotional, it really means the world to me.”
In the women’s equivalent Beau Greaves got the better of Fallon Sherrock with a 6-3.
The Winter Gardens-based event also once again raised significant funds to help the work done by Macmillan Cancer Support.