Mark Your Card's lead slashed by Daily Bargain

2018-11-30

A month ago it looked all over, but new life has been injected into the 2018 Besttipping Challenge. Daily Bargain, the reigning champion, finished top of the November list with a 24-point yield and, in so doing, has cut deeply into Mark Your Card’s lead, reducing it from 130 points to just 62.1. Steve Jones, the Daily Bargain supremo, had more good news as Probets, his second service, finished a close second netting 20 points and a 45% strike-rate.

Early Price Profits, Personal Info and First Favourite all secured November profits while Personal Info’s Saturday Only service missed out by a slender margin.

Daily Bargain’s return was their best since April’s 34.5-point effort.  Two 10/1 successes – Global Wonder (Kempton, 6 November) and Smugglers Creek (Newcastle, 9 November) – gave the month early momentum. These wins proved to be the springboard for more success with a 20/1 advice Arzaak winning a Southwell sprint on 15 November and 8/1 Shanroe Santos scoring at Fontwell Park three days later. The month’s tally also included seven runners-up, including 20/1 Madeleine Bond (Newmarket, 3 November).

Probets were in fine fettle throughout the month and the form figures are worth recording: 20111002131011111033120101000. That’s 13 winners, 3 seconds and 3 thirds from 29 selections. The best of the thirteen winners were 5/1 Master The World (Lingfield, 17 November), 9/2 Mitchum Swagger (Newmarket, 3 November) and 7/2 Remastered (Ffos Las, 11 November), while the other ten successes were all priced at 6/4 or better. It all added up to a best monthly return since February and cements third position in the overall table with a highly commendable eleven-month yield of 63.1 points. Baring a calamitous December, Probets previous best annual tally (46.2 points recorded back in 2014) looks set to be surpassed.

Early Price Profits began November in brilliant form with 14/1 Given Choice (Wolverhampton, 6 November) and 10/1 Dizoard (Musselburgh, 7 November) leading the way. Later winners included Free Range (16/1, Newcastle, 16 November) and Total Assets (10/1, Hexham, 21 November). In the end, a 5-point yield was less than looked likely early in the month, but it indicated a return to form which continued on the opening day of December with a four-winner haul earning a 26-point profit.

With a solid 3.9-point yield, Personal Info earned their eighth successive month of profit (and their tenth of the year). As in previous months, dutching bets were again a source of profit with the winning horse being in advised in three out of six races – at odds of 5/2, 11/8 and 11/4. Single bets were also productive with six winners including 9/2 advice Getaway Trump at Plumpton (19 November). With a month of the year to go, Personal Info are up 15.2 points and heading for their best return since 2015.

Mel Gee, the man behind First Favourite recently commented that “November is really what First Favourite is about. Targeted horses, trained to their ability, in races they can win and against weak opposition.” These words came at the end of a month that saw four of First Favourite’s five selections prevail. (The fifth came to grief when ten lengths clear with the race won). A 3.2-point profit and a 52% return on investment were the pleasing results of the month’s endeavours.

Our next update will be published in early January, and will include details of December’s action, but you can keep up-to-date with the latest developments on Besttipping’s twitter link via this page. Here’s wishing all followers of Besttipping a wonderful Christmas and New Year.