Bookmakers count Royal Ascot losses after 'costly' Kyprios and English Oak results put punters ahead

Gold cup hero Kyprios delivered a "costly result" at Royal Ascot for bookmakers, with the 11-10 chance the shortest-priced favourite at the meeting so far.

Ryan Moore rode the Aidan O'Brien-trained star and Coral said he had replaced Frankie Dettori as the punters' favourite.

Bookmakers celebrated defeats for the well-fancied 5-4 Norfolk favourite Whistlejacket and King's Gambit, sent off at 2-1 in the Hampton Court Stakes, but English Oak landed another blow for punters in the final race when taking the Buckingham Palace Stakes at 100-30.

Five favourites and two joint-favourites have won in the 21 races held so far at Royal Ascot, with two days remaining.

Coral's David Stevens said: "Defeats for Whistlejacket and King's Gambit came as a blow to many accumulators, but it didn't go all our way on day three, with victory for Kyprios in  the Gold Cup keeping the smile off our faces.

"Ryan Moore has replaced Frankie Dettori as the first name many punters turn to at this meeting, so when he and Aidan O'Brien combine to win the biggest betting race of the week with the hot favourite, it's never going to be anything other than a costly result for the bookies."

William Hill also reported that punters were ahead on Thursday following the victory for Kyprios.

William Hill's Lee Phelps said: “Kyprios was one of the horses that we wanted to get beaten this Royal Ascot so his success in the Gold Cup was far from a welcome result for us. He was well backed towards the off too, returning at 11-10, and his win caused us significant losses.

"Getting King's Gambit beaten in the Hampton Court was a good result, but that was offset by the favourite English Oak winning the last at 100-30, and he ensured that this was certainly a day where the punters finished ahead."

Opera Singer, representing O'Brien and Moore, is the hot favourite on Friday in the Coronation Stakes.

Read these next:

'Ryan was masterful' - Kyprios is king of the stayers again as he regains his Gold Cup crown in an epic 

Kyprios rated an above-average Gold Cup winner after scoring with a bit up his sleeve 

Favourite English Oak dominates Buckingham Palace Stakes for Ed Walker as Wathnan and James Doyle cap 'magic day' 

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