2017 Crufts Dog Show Betting Odds

–Crufts is the world’s largest dog show and is run by The Kennel Club of England.

–Group judging begins on Thursday, March 9 and runs through Sunday, March 12.

–’Best in Show’ will be awarded on Sunday, March 12.

The Crufts Dog Show dates back 125 years and is the largest dog show in the world. Dog shows are similar to NASCAR and Formula 1 auto racing in that the best known one in the US isn’t as important in the rest of the world. In North America, the Westminster Kennel Club show held annually at Madison Square Garden is the best known dog show. In the rest of the world, Crufts is the big event. Group judging begins at the NEC in Birmingham on Thursday, March 9 and runs through Sunday, March 12. The “Best in Show’ winner will also be revealed on Sunday.

It’s no longer just a dog show–Crufts now has a huge retail and trade show component along with competitions in events like agility, flyball and obedience. The dog show gets most of the media attention and betting interest. Historically, there’s been a fair amount of betting on the Crufts Dog Show. It’s slowed considerably since 2008 when there was something of a ‘betting scandal’. British bookmakers suspended betting on the ‘best in show’ at Crufts after taking what they considered ‘suspicious bets’. The concern was that someone attached to the tournament had ‘inside information’ though that claim has never been substantiated.

Basically, what happened is that after odds were posted similar to the ones for the ‘Best of Show’ below William Hill started to get a flurry of action on the ‘Utility Group’ which hasn’t always been held in favor among the dog show set. The ‘Utility Group’ is a ‘catch all’ group where dogs that don’t fit into the more specific groups such as ‘Toy’ or ‘Terrier’ find a home. In 2008, William Hill opened the ‘Utility Group’ at +650 (13/2). After just a few hours of betting, the odds on the ‘Utility Group’ had dropped to +150 (3/2). It would later move to -200 (1/2) before the market was closed. A William Hill spokesman explained the decision:


“Normally in betting, when we shorten the price people start to back off a little and back other contenders, but that hasn’t happened here and no matter how short a price we offer on a utility dog winning, people keep betting. It’s essentially a seven-horse race with all the money going on one horse. We decided enough was enough and closed the book.”

Caroline Kisko, the secretary of the Kennel Club, retorted:


“There are 23,000 dogs in the competition …It’s impossible to say that there is one dog certain to win the top prize.”

While the bookmaker had every right to close the market to limit their financial exposure it was a case that they might have caught a case of ‘cold feet’. It’s not uncommon for the ‘public’ to all line up and back a ‘false favorite’–in fact, it’s often a chance for a book to make a big killing. In this case, however, William Hill clearly felt that they didn’t have enough knowledge to make an accurate assessment. When the smoke cleared the ‘Best in Show’ winner was Jafrak Philippe Olivier, a Giant Schnauzer out of the ‘Working Group’. The ‘runner up’ (known as the ‘Reserve Best in Show’) was a Samoyed out of the ‘Pastoral Group’. That means the dog from the ‘Utility Group’ that William Hill so feared–a Shiba Inu–finished no higher than third. Over the past decade, the ‘Utility Group’ has come into vogue among dog show types which is why we’ve made them the #2 choice to win ‘Best in Show’.

2017 CRUFTS DOG SHOW BETTING ODDS

What group will produce the overall ‘Best in Show’ at Crufts 2017?

Terrier: +250
Utility: +350
Gun: +450
Hound: +550
Toy: +650
Pastoral: +800
Working: +900

To win terrier group? (Thursday, March 9)

Airedale Terrier: +1750
Australian Terrier: +6000
Bedlington Terrier: +7500
Border Terrier: +3500
Bull Terrier: +7500
Bull Terrier (Miniature): +7500
Cairn Terrier: +4000
Cesky Terrier: +8500
Dandie Dinmont Terrier: +900
Fox Terrier (Smooth): +900
Fox Terrier (Wire): +900
Glen Of Imaal Terrier: +8500
Irish Terrier: +500
Jack Russell Terrier: +2500
Kerry Blue Terrier: +700
Lakeland Terrier: +900
Manchester Terrier: +1750
Norfolk Terrier: +1500
Norwich Terrier: +1500
Parson Russell Terrier: +2750
Scottish Terrier: +5000
Sealyham Terrier: +7500
Skye Terrier: +4000
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier: +4000
Staffordshire Bull Terrier: +700
Welsh Terrier: +500
West Highland White Terrier: +500

To win hound group? (Thursday March 9)

Afghan Hound: +2500
Azawakh: +7500
Basenji: +5000
Basset Bleu De Gascogne: +7500
Basset Fauve De Bretagne: +7500
Basset Griffon Vendeen (Grand): +2500
Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit): +2500
Basset Hound: +1500
Bavarian Mountain Hound: +4000
Beagle: +2500
Bloodhound: +3500
Borzoi: +4500
Cirneco Dell’Etna: +4500
Dachshund (Long Haired): +900
Dachshund (Miniature Long Haired): +1750
Dachshund (Miniature Smooth Haired): +1500
Dachshund (Miniature Wire Haired): +1750
Dachshund (Smooth Haired): +750
Dachshund (Wire Haired): +900
Deerhound: +5000
Finnish Spitz: +2500
Foxhound:+1750
Grand Bleu De Gascogne: +3500
Greyhound: +6000
Griffon Fauve De Bretagne: +7500
Hamiltonstovare: +7500
Ibizan Hound: +7500
Irish Wolfhound: +1500
Norwegian Elkhound: +1750
Otterhound: +7500
Pharaoh Hound: +2100
Portuguese Podengo: +7500
Rhodesian Ridgeback: +1250
Saluki: +5000
Segugio Italiano: +7500
Sloughi: +7500
Whippet: +1250

To win Toy Group? (Friday, March 10)

Affenpinscher: +4500
Australian Silky Terrier: +2500
Bichon Frise: +1250
Bolognese: +2500
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: +750
Chihuahua (Long Coat): +2100
Chihuahua (Smooth Coat): +1500
Chinese Crested: +3000
Coton De Tulear: +4500
English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan): +1000
Griffon Bruxellois: +1500
Havanese: +2500
Italian Greyhound: +4500
Japanese Chin: +3000
King Charles Spaniel: +1500
Lowchen (Little Lion Dog): +4500
Maltese: +1250
Miniature Pinscher: +1250
Papillon: +1500
Pekingese: +1750
Pomeranian: +750
Pug: +1750
Yorkshire Terrier: +1750

To win Utility Group? (Friday, March 10)

Akita: +4500
Boston Terrier: +4500
Bulldog: +4500
Canaan Dog: +5500
Chow Chow: +4500
Dalmatian: +2500
Eurasier: +4500
French Bulldog: +2100
German Spitz (Klein): +2500
German Spitz (Mittel): +2500
Japanese Akita Inu: +4500
Japanese Shiba Inu: +2000
Japanese Spitz: +2500
Keeshond: +4500
Kooikerhondje: +4000
Korean Jindo: +4000
Lhasa Apso: +750
Miniature Schnauzer: +1200
Poodle (Miniature): +900
Poodle (Standard): +450
Poodle (Toy): +750
Schipperke: +4500
Schnauzer: +950
Shar Pei: +1200
Shih Tzu: +1200
Tibetan Spaniel: +4000
Tibetan Terrier: +4000
Xoloitzcuintle (Mex Hairless) Int: +7500
Xoloitzcuintle (Mex Hairless) Min: +7500
Xoloitzcuintle (Mex Hairless) Std: +7500

To win Gun Dog Group? (Saturday, March 11)

Bracco Italiano: +7500
Braque D’Auvergne: +7500
Brittany: +4100
English Setter: +1250
German Longhaired Pointer: +1500
German Shorthaired Pointer: +2250
German Wirehaired Pointer: +1500
Gordon Setter: +2750
Hungarian Vizsla: +7500
Hungarian Wire Haired Vizsla: +7500
Irish Red & White Setter: +7000
Irish Setter: +1800
Italian Spinone: +7000
Korthals Griffon: +7000
Lagotto Romagnolo: +7000
Large Munsterlander: +7000
Pointer: +950
Portuguese Pointer: +2500
Retriever (Chesapeake Bay): +1950
Retriever (Curly Coated): +1500
Retriever (Flat Coated): +1500
Retriever (Golden): +1200
Retriever (Labrador): +1200
Retriever (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling): +2500
Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer: +7500
Small Munsterlander: +6000
Spaniel (American Cocker): +1250
Spaniel (American Water): +1500
Spaniel (Clumber): +1500
Spaniel (Cocker): +900
Spaniel (English Springer): +900
Spaniel (Field): +1250
Spaniel (Irish Water): +1250
Spaniel (Sussex): +1250
Spaniel (Welsh Springer): +1250
Spanish Water Dog: +1500
Weimaraner: +2250

To win Working Group (Sunday, March 12)

Alaskan Malamute: +1500
Bernese Mountain Dog: +900
Bouvier Des Flandres: +1250
Boxer: +750
Bullmastiff: +900
Canadian Eskimo Dog: +2500
Dobermann: +1250
Dogue de Bordeaux: +1250
Entlebucher Mountain Dog: +4500
German Pinscher: +1500
Giant Schnauzer: +750
Great Dane: +1500
Great Swiss Mountain Dog: +750
Greenland Dog: +2500
Hovawart: +4500
Leonberger: +4500
Mastiff: +1500
Neapolitan Mastiff: +1750
Newfoundland: +750
Portuguese Water Dog: +900
Pyrenean Mastiff: +2500
Rottweiler: +450
Russian Black Terrier: +3500
Siberian Husky: +1500
St. Bernard: +900
Tibetan Mastiff: +2500


To win Pastoral Group (Sunday, March 12)

Anatolian Shepherd Dog: +2500
Australian Cattle Dog: +1750
Australian Shepherd: +1750
Bearded Collie: +1250
Beauceron: +5000
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael): +2500
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Laekenois): +2500
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois): +2500
Belgian Shepherd Dog (Tervueren): +2500
Bergamasco: +5000
Border Collie: +1500
Briard: +2750
Catalan Sheepdog: +5000
Collie (Rough): +1750
Collie (Smooth): +1250
Estrela Mountain Dog: +5000
Finnish Lapphund: +5000
German Shepherd Dog: +1250
Hungarian Kuvasz: +5000
Hungarian Puli: +7500
Hungarian Pumi: +7500
Komondor: +5000
Lancashire Heeler: +7500
Maremma Sheepdog: +7500
Norwegian Buhund: +2500
Old English Sheepdog: +950
Picardy Sheepdog: +7500
Polish Lowland Sheepdog: +7500
Pyrenean Mountain Dog: +1750
Pyrenean Sheepdog (Long Haired): +3500
Samoyed: +2100
Shetland Sheepdog: +1250
Swedish Lapphund: +2750
Swedish Vallhund: +7500
Turkish Kangal Dog: +7500
Welsh Corgi (Cardigan): +2500
Welsh Corgi (Pembroke): +2500

About the Author: Jim Murphy

For more than 25 years, Jim Murphy has written extensively on sports betting as well as handicapping theory and practice. Jim Murphy has been quoted in media from the Wall Street Journal to REASON Magazine. Murphy worked as a radio and podcasting host broadcasting to an international audience that depended on his expertise and advice. Murphy is an odds making consultant for sports and 'non-sport novelty bets' focused on the entertainment business, politics, technology, financial markets and more.