A massive punt on Simple Exchange went astray on Friday as the bookmakers recouped their Royal Ascot at York losses with interest.

The layers had taken a real bashing on the first three days of the five-day meeting, but it was the backers who suffered on Friday.

Simple Exchange was backed down from a morning price of 9/1 into 4/1 for the Wolferton Handicap, but Dermot Weld's colt failed to stay the extended mile and a quarter and the gamble was lost.

David Hood, William Hill's director of public relations, said: "Bookies were heaving a huge sigh of relief as one of the biggest gambles in Royal Ascot's history went awry with Simple Exchange floundering in the closing stages.

"William Hill took the brunt of the gamble, having been best-priced 9/1 in the morning, and the estimated industry payout of £15 million has been saved after all England's major bookmakers were flooded with bets and Simple Exchange started as 4/1 second favourite.

"This was a gamble of proportions never seen in recent years and will go down in history as one of the most memorable of all time, although thankfully for us it is more forgettable now the horse got beat."

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