Suspicion over Crufts bets

Crufts 2008 was today rocked by news of a suspected scandal after the discovery of suspicious betting patterns surrounding its top prize - Best in Show.

William Hill last night suspended betting on which category of dog would win the coveted prize at the show, which opened today at the NEC in Birmingham.

A flood of bets appeared to predict that the winning dog would come from the previously unfancied utility dog category, a miscellaneous group of breeds which includes bulldogs, miniature poodles and Dalmatians.

Betting closed after a rush that shortened the odds of such a dog winning from 13-2 to 1-2.