Weekend Review: Bookies revel in Altior’s Ascot defeat

The bookies were left delighted as Cyrname romped home to defeat previously-unbeaten Altior in the Christy 1965 Chase at Ascot this weekend.

The 5/2 second favourite, ridden by Harry Cobden and trained by Paul Nicholls, led the near two-and-three-quarter-mile race from start to finish.

Altior, who was hammered into 1/3 pre-off, and was aiming to make it 15 wins from 15, was unable to keep up when Cyrname made the sprint for home with three fences remaining.

Wow. Wow. And wow again.

Cyrname wins the Christy 1965 Chase under @CobdenHarry at @Ascot #ITVRacing pic.twitter.com/o3VepP8AEp

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) November 23, 2019

Kindred’s Ali Gill said: “At Ascot, the mega clash we’d all been waiting for between Altior and Cyrname really delivered, with the new pretender coming out on top.

“The punters however really latched on to Altior, sending him off 1/3 in the end meaning Cyrname’s victory was exactly what the bookies wanted to see.

It was a similar story at Betway, where Chad Yeomans said: “In the big epic clash at Ascot, the Betway punters only wanted to be with one horse and that was Altior.

“He opened up at 5/4 on Monday and went off at 1/3, so Cyrname and Harry Cobden winning saved us! We are looking forward to round two between them.”

William Hill’s Rupert Adams revealed that Altior failing to win ruined around 90% of all horseracing accumulator bets this weekend.

He added: “The football was about average this weekend as all the big boys all came good.”

He was alluding to routine Premier League victories for Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Leicester City.

However, Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at home to struggling Southampton and Sheffield United’s late equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Manchester United provided a silver lining for the layers.

💬 "Everybody has to ask themselves what they can change, what they can give more of."

🗣 @Aubameyang7

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 24, 2019

Kindred’s Gill said: “A mixed weekend overall in the Premier League as we took hits in a number of the high-profile games, with Liverpool, Spurs and Leicester all leaving big red holes.

“But Man Utd and Arsenal’s dismal seasons continue, and those two draws took the sting out of damage done by accas.”

Betway has paid out early on Liverpool to win the league this season following the Reds’ 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are unbeaten at home since April 2017 and have claimed a remarkable 37 points from 13 games this season, only dropping points in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in October.

The operator’s Alan Alger said: “Liverpool started the season as 9/4 second-favourites to win this year’s title but have looked unstoppable since the opening game.

“It’s hard to see them dropping points many times this season, with yesterday’s win extending their incredible form.

“We know there is risk involved, but this Liverpool team is doing all the right things and winning games in the style of champions.

“We believe the club has one hand on the trophy already, so Betway punters that backed Klopp’s side can collect today,” he added.

3 points! #YNWA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LPBa0KBrcu

— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) November 23, 2019