D. J. Taylor has been installed as favourite to win the 2011 Man Booker Prize for his novel Derby Day.
Ahead of the shortlist being unveiled next week, Derby Day is currently 4/1 to win the award, with Stephen Kelman's acclaimed debut novel Pigeon English the second favourite at 5/1.
Pigeon English was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for New Fiction earlier this year and bookmaker Ladbrokes feels it will once again make the narrowed-down list for the Man Booker Prize.
The Sense of An Ending, by thrice-nominated Julian Barnes, is the joint third favourite at 6/1, along with The Stranger's Child by former Man Booker Prize winner Alan Hollinghurst.
The outsiders for the award are The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers and A.D. Miller's Snowdrops, which currently sit at 16/1.
A shortlist of six titles will be unveiled on September 6th, with the winner announced on October 18th.