Mercury Music Prize Odds: Florence out front but this is an outsider's game

Mercury Music Prize / Joe Dyer / 07 September 2009 /

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Florence and the Machine are [3.9] favourites to win the Mercury Music Prize

"Kasabian look to be considered too mainstream to mount a strong challenge, and Betfair customers give them little chance at [20.0], but Klaxons were similarly unfancied in 2007."

Florence and the Machine are out front in the betting for this year's Mercury Music Prize, but long shots usually end up winning this award

Florence and the Machine are the [3.9] favourites on Betfair to win the Mercury Prize, one of British music's most coveted awards, on Tuesday.

Their album, 'Lungs', which has maintained a top 10 spot in the charts for eight weeks running, has stormed to the front of the market ahead of Speech Debelle ([5.3]), The Horrors ([8.2]) and Bat For Lashes ([9.2]).

Kasabian look to be considered too mainstream to mount a strong challenge, and Betfair customers give them little chance at [20.0], but Klaxons were similarly unfancied in 2007.

Betfair spokesman Michael Robb said: "Like last year, this is an extremely open event. Florence and the Machine go in as favourites and you can see why in a competition which tends to prefer young talent.

"But no one knows what goes on in that judging room, which was never more evident than last year when Elbow - tipped on this site - shocked punters by beating long-term favourite Burial to the prize."

For a comprehensive guide to this year's Mercury Music Prize click here.

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