Burial to beat Radiohead to Mercury Prize

Wednesday, 23 July 2008

In the 24 hours since nominations for the Mercury Prize were announced, leading bookmaker Sky Bet has slashed its odds on new favourite Burial.

Having been initially installed at 7/1 alongside the likes of Estelle, Adele and teenager Laura Marling, the new 3/1 favourite is a surprise contender in the race to scoop the coveted prize.

The shadowy dubstep figure made the shortlist this year for his first ever Mercury nomination and looks set to cause a stir in the betting by challenging the likes of Radiohead and Elbow.

If the public prove to be putting their money in the right place then the anonymous Burial could see his album Untrue staying in the top spot, overshadowing the likes of former favourite Robert Plant. The forever popular Radiohead have also been a popular choice with the punters overnight and the bookie has cut their odds from 6/1 to 9/2 second favourites.

Sky Bet's entertainment manager, Helen Jacob, said: "We've been inundated with bets on Burial over the last 24 hours and it looks like he really could be the surprise package to walk away with this year's Mercury Prize.

"The fact that nobody knows anything about him makes it all the more exciting. However, Radiohead are also proving to be a popular choice and you certainly can't rule them out at 9/2!"

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