Weekend Review: Europe seal Ryder Cup victory as Manchester have a mare

Elsewhere, in the Ryder Cup, Europe was able to maintain its early momentum to regain the USA in what turned out to be a dramatic final day in Rome. 

After bolting out of the gates in hot form, some bookies, including Betfred, paid out on Europe to win the glamour event.

Firkins said: “Fred paid out early on a Europe Ryder Cup win on Saturday morning, barely halfway through the contest. What a dominant performance, even though the Americans rallied a little in the singles. We were top-price Europe early doors and that proved extremely popular.”

Europe needed four points from Sunday’s 12 singles matches to beat the US after winning both morning sessions on Friday and Saturday 4-0 and 3-1, with Europe taking a 10 ½ – 5 ½ lead into the final day. 

Tommy Fleetwood sealed victory for Europe in the 11th game, and in the final match-up, Shane Lowry wrapped things up to give Europe a 16 ½ – 11 ½ victory.

Bet365’s Freeth said: “It’s hard to believe that it wasn’t that long ago that Europe were 15/8 to win the Ryder Cup, yet a late surge of money saw the hosts go off a shade of odds-on and in truth their backers were never in danger.

“The opening day was expensive with our Super Boost of 21/20 to 7/4 about Europe winning day one copping on the bridle coupled with the 20/1 on Europe winning the morning session 4-0.

“We had a bit of joy on day two with a fightback of sorts and no complaints about day three having built up monster liabilities on 18/1 United States making a shock comeback.

“Ante post-wise, we dodged one with Viktor Hovland failing to finish top European points scorer, but punters got it spot on with Max Homa for the United States,” Freeth concluded. 

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy was in fine fettle at Marco Simone, and while the bookmakers may have avoided being burnt on Hovland, the world number two was on hand to give the punters some joy.

Yeomans added: “With the Europe very well backed in the lead up to the event and eventually going off favourites at even money, the result was one of joy for punters backing Luke Donald’s men. Rory McIlroy bagging his first ever four points at the event made him the European team’s top points scorer and only added to the woes of our golf traders.”

Meanwhile, in horseracing, the marque event of the weekend was the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris.

Ace Impact (5/2) won the race to give trainer Jean-Claude Rouget and jockey Cristian Demuro their second victory in four years. 

Ace Impact was able to burst past Westover in the closing moments of the race to secure victory in what is Europe’s richest race. 

In the other big race of the weekend, the Prix Marcel Boussac was won by Opera Singer (2/1). Ridden by Ryan Moore, was able to stay ahead of the other joint-favourite Darnation and win the race with ease, with the previously unbeaten Rose Bloom coming in second and Les Pavots coming in third.

Firkins remarked: “An imperious Arc performance in Paris from Ace Impact, has a horse ever been more aptly named? A fabulously talented son of Cracksman, whose father is the incomparable Frankel. 

“Aidan’s Opera Singer was as impressive in taking the Marcel Boussac, and she’s now 11/2 favourite for the 1000 Guineas next May. She bounced off the unseasonably fast ground and was visually quite sensational,” he added.