Rose of Tralee 2008: Tipperary Rose is bookie’s favourite to lift the crown
Tipperary Rose Aoife Kelly
PADDY Power bookmakers have slashed the odds on Tipperary Rose Aoife Kelly winning this year’s Rose of Tralee from 8/1 to 7/2 following a huge Irish gamble on the Tipp native.
Over €10,000 has already been bet on the occupational therapist’s chances of becoming the 2008 Rose of Tralee and with just days to go she’s now this year’s hot favourite to succeed reigning Rose Lisa Murtagh.
Thirty-one contenders will take to the stage in the Festival Dome in Tralee on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 August, and compete against each other to be crowned this year’s Rose. Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power said most of the betting support for Aoife came from Tipperary
“She obviously has a lot of local support but she’s also received bets from Spain and the UK so it seems this year’s favourite has global appeal,” she said. Other Roses being well fancied with the bookies include Cork Rose Niamh O’Hanlon at 8/1, Cavan Rose Mairéad Long at 12/1 and London Rose Belinda Brown at 16/1.
Meanwhile Kerry’s own Rose, schoolteacher Katie Nolan, is further back the field in joint eighth place at odds of 18/1 to claim the title. With six Irish girls making the bookies top 10 it’s 10/11 on that this year’s winner will hail from Ireland. Given the weather we’ve been having this summer a punt on some of the weather-related Rose bets might also be worth a few bob.
Paddy Power are offering odds of 33/1 that the show will be cancelled due to flooding, 50/1 that the dome will be struck by lightning and, slightly more unlikely, that the dome will be struck by a tornado. As is the case every year, there’s also a range of more bizarre bets on offer including odds on a Rose fainting on stage, host Ray D’Arcy dyeing his hair or tearing a Rose’s dress and a Rose being unmasked as a transsexual.
