LONDON, May 27 (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron turned racing tipster on Thursday, prompting a flood of betting on his selections.
Asked by a sports correspondent during a BBC radio interview if he wanted to choose the daily horse-racing tips, Cameron jumped at the chance, making a joking reference to the stability of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition that he formed after the May 6 election.
"If you were a fan of the coalition, you could go for ‘Daring Dream’ at the 3.50 (p.m. race) at Ayr and if you’re slightly more sceptical about how our arrangements are going to work out you could try ‘Midnight Fantasy’ in the 3 o’clock at Wolverhampton," he said.
Bookmakers William Hill said they were inundated by punters wanting to place bets on Cameron’s tips.
"We can only hope that the prime minister is a better politician than tipster or this could cost us hundreds of thousands (of pounds)," said Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe.
"Daring Dream" was listed in the morning newspapers at odds of 5-1 while "Midnight Fantasy" was more of an outsider with odds of 9-1.
Cameron’s spokesman said he was surprised Cameron had not opted for "Fantastic Sam", running at Newcastle on Thursday. Cameron’s wife Samantha, who is expecting a baby, is popularly referred to as Sam.
