Derby winner Pour Moi rode saved Ladbrokes a £20 million payout beating the Queen’s Carlton House into third place at Epsom on Saturday.
The bookies had braced themselves for a record-breaking plunge on the royal favourite and weren’t disappointed as the nation got caught up in a surge of patriotic punting.
But the French-trained Pour Moi took the spoils with a thrilling burst of speed under jockey Mickael Barzalona at odds of 4/1.
David Williams of Ladbrokes said: “It wasn’t exactly a satchel-burster but we’ve no complaints. Carlton House would have seen the bookies shelling out tens of millions.
“We’ve been fans of Pour Moi ever since his victory in the Prix Greffulhe and were keen to keep him onside. We’re leaving the Epsom Downs with our noses in front.
Ladbrokes had offered odds of 8/1 for the Derby following Pour Moi’s thrilling trial win at Saint-Cloud last month. He is now 4/1 joint favourite for the Prix de l’Ard de Triomphe at Longchamp in October alongside So You Think. Workforce is 9/2.
