Jim Crace and Eleanor Catton are the bookies' favourites to win the Man Booker Prize tonight.
Man Booker 2013 shortlist (clockwise, from top left): Eleanor Catton, Jhumpa Lahiri, Colm Toibin, NoViolet Bulawayo, Jim Crace and Ruth Ozeki Photo: Getty, Rex
As the literary world waits to hear who will win this year's £50,000 Man Booker Prize, announced tonight, the bookies are struggling to choose between two frontrunners. Jim Crace and Eleanor Catton have pulled ahead of the field of six shortlisted authors and are jockeying to be favourite. Crace, author of Harvest, has had his odds cut to 11/8 from 6/4 by Ladbrokes, while Catton's chances have shortened from 7/2 to 11/4.
Over the weekend, the early money was on outside chance Ruth Ozeki, but she has fallen away to 8/1 as punters switch their attention to the favourites at the last minute.
"Both Crace and Catton have been particularly well supported heading into the final hours of the Man Booker betting," says Alex Donohue of Ladbrokes.
Neither author will take much comfort from being tipped to win as bookies' favourites do not have a great track record at the Man Booker. Anne Enright won in 2008 with odds of 8/1 while Aravind Adiga won in 2008 with odds of 14/1. The last favourite to win was Hilary Mantel, for Wolf Hall, in 2009, when the bookies took a beating: she was 6/4 on to win.
Fellow author Jhumpa Lahiri has set a new Man Booker betting record this year, but it's not one she'll be boasting about. A mere £24 has been placed on her book, The Lowland – the lowest stakes ever placed on a Booker contender. The odds on her winning are currently 9/1, the same as Noviolet Bulawayo, for her debut novel We Need New Names.
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