Britain's Got Talent's Susan Boyle has tough competition

Britain's Got Talent's Susan Boyle might have been a hot favourite, but she faces competition from 12-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi. The Welsh singer blew the crowd away with a rendition of The Jackson Five's Who's Loving You, and the odds for him to win the show are now at 3/1 from 7/2. His Scottish rival, who has been backed by the likes of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, is out to 4/9 from 2/5. Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said: "We'd resigned ourselves to this year's series being a one-horse race. But Shaheen has changed all of that and punters can't get enough of him. "He's been backed to the hilt, especially in Wales, and if it continues Susan's favouritism could come under threat." In the second episode of the ITV1 talent show, Cowell dramatically halted the youngster mid-audition as he sang a version of Amy Winehouse's Valerie. He responded by belting out his version of Who's Loving You, to the delight of the crowd and judges. Cowell told him: "This may be the start of something special for you young man." Moore enthused about Shaheen on Twitter, saying: "Wow this kid is something else!" William Hill has priced Shaheen up at 11/4 to win, saying he looks likely to follow the success of George Sampson and Faryl Smith in the competition.

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ITN | April 20, 2009

Tags:. .favouritism. .enthused. .ladbrokes. .audition. .shaheen