It is possible to pinpoint with a considerable degree of accuracy the moment when Britain’s bookmaking industry last faced the possibility of a truly ruinous day at the races. At 5.05pm (and 22 seconds) on 20 June 2019, the 28-strong field in the Britannia Handicap at Royal Ascot was approaching the furlong pole and Turgenev, who had set off as the 7-2 favourite, was going strongly in front with a lead of nearly three lengths and trading at around 1-3 in-running on Betfair.
Frankie Dettori, Turgenev’s rider, had already won the first four races on the card, at odds of 5-1, 13-2, 4-1 and evens. Victory No 5 on the day would have completed a 2,024-1 accumulator at SP, with many of Dettori’s loyal followers having banked much bigger prices earlier in the day. Just 12 seconds later, though, the bookmakers could breathe again, as Harry Bentley and Biometric emerged from the pack to win by a length-and-a-quarter.
