Royal Wedding Horse Wins Race In Britain
LONDON — It was a good day for a Royal Wedding, even on one of Britain's race courses.
The aptly named Royal Wedding won a race at Fontwell on Friday, with the 4-1 shot holding off Take A Mile to win by 12 lengths just hours after Prince William married Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey.
The Nick Gifford-trained horse won at Fontwell in February and was invited back to race on the same day as the royal nuptials.
"It's been the plan to run for about two months and we are delighted it's all worked out," Gifford said. "I'm delighted and a bit relieved he won after we've had so much publicity. We just didn't want him to do anything stupid like fall at the first (fence) or anything like that."
Bookmakers weren't quite as happy, however, saying they had been showered with bets on the popular horse.
"Thousands of people placed bets on Royal Wedding, and the bookies will be paying out millions as a result," said David Stevens, a spokesman for bookmaker Coral.
Royal Wedding is owned by Don Trangmar and was ridden by Liam Treadwell.
"Royal Wedding backers are over the moon," said David Williams of Ladbrokes. "The horse began to drift in the betting market, but the royal gods had other ideas. Loyal royalists who kept the faith have scooped a small fortune."
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04/29/11 03:02 PM ET Associated Press