Layers narrowly in front going into the final day

It’s still all to play for in the battle of the betting ring going into the final day of Royal Ascot, with the bookmakers marginally ahead despite victories for the Ballydoyle hotpots Caravaggio and Winter on Friday.

After enjoying a good afternoon on Thursday with the defeats of 5-6 Gold Cup favourite Order Of St George and heavily backed 2-1 market leader Mori in the Ribblesdale Stakes, the layers had the smile wiped off their faces when Aidan O’Brien's pair obliged under Ryan Moore in the Commonwealth Cup and Coronation Stakes.

However, Pat Cooney, spokesman for bet365, said: “I've just seen the figures and we’re still marginally up on the week. The Caravaggio/Winter double levelled things up somewhat, but we’re not complaining.

“We’ve dodged many a headache along the way – Churchill’s defeat on day one in the St James’s Palace Stakes was particularly good for us – and if you'd said at the start of the week that we’d be going into the final day just in front we’d probably have taken it.”

Nicola McGeady reported Ladbrokes were also hard hit by the victories of Caravaggio and Winter, but admitted it could have been worse.

“Today the two bankers finally obliged, much to the delight of punters,” she said. “But although the double was really popular it wasn’t a disaster given their short prices.

“With the first two races [won by Different League, 20-1, and Permian, 6-1] going in our favour, we can’t really complain.”

With O’Brien’s September likely to be the only short-priced favourite on the six-race Saturday card, punters will need some inspiration to solve fiendishly difficult puzzles like the Wokingham Stakes and Wolferton Handicap to prevent the bookies finishing on top.