William Hill has closed betting on the this week's Crufts dog-show because of peculiar wagering on which category of dog will declared Best in Show.
The company has received a flood of bets that the winning dog would come from the utility dog category (Dalmatians, poodles, bulldogs. The winner usually comes from the pastoral, terrier, hound, toy, gun or working dog classes though.
William Hill opened the betting yesterday morning with 13/2 odds on a utility dog winning the show, then shortened them to 6/4 within a few hours. By early afternoon the odds were adjusted to 1/2, making a utility dog the favorite.
The company said it received more than 20 bets of £100 or more on the utility dog category.
"There must be an exceptional dog out there that we have not heard about," said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams. "Normally in betting, when we shorten the price people start to back off a little and back other contenders, but that hasn't happened here and no matter how short a price we offer on a utility dog winning, people keep betting.
"It's essentially a seven-horse race with all the money going on one horse. We decided enough was enough and closed the book.
The utility dogs will be judged today, and Best of Show contenders will return for judging Sunday.