Frankie Dettori had the bookmakers running scared at Royal Ascot on Friday as Bet365 took the unusual step of turning down multiple bets on his rides after taking a pummeling from his 449-1 four-timer on Thursday.
The 48-year-old completed a 449-1 four-timer on A’Ali, Sangarius Star Catcher and Stradivarius, before Turgenev, backed from 12.0 into 4.5 favourite, was overhauled late on by Biometric ride by Harry Bentley in the Britannia Stakes.
Even though Turgenev was beaten, it was still an extremely costly day for bookmakers.
“It’s been a terrible day for the bookmakers, but it would have been Armageddon if Frankie had won the lot,” said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams. The company reportedly had to pay out more than £2.5m alone.
“Bentley will be the toast of bookmakers for many years to come,” added WH official.
In a highly criticized move, Bet365 decided to refuse all multiple bets on Dettori rides overnight. According to The Telegraph, the bookmaker’s trading department had made the decision to block any double or bigger multiple bets for Friday events.
Rival betting firm Paddy Power, meanwhile, had poked fun at Bet365 on Friday morning, tweeting: “Unlike other bookies you can still bet on multiples with Paddy.”
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