No panic as Daily Bargain return to form

2021-07-31

Once again, Daily Bargain secured top spot in the July Besttipping listing. A 10.5-point yield was enough to hold stable companion Probets, who ended the month 10.1 points up.

Personal Info earned a sixth straight month of profits while Personal Info’s Saturday-Only service also registered a small July gain.

For some tipsters, a 15-day losing sequence would spell disaster, but for Daily Bargain, it means little. Losing sequences of this nature are quickly absorbed by decently priced winners and the end result is usually a profitable monthly return.

The last three months have been a case in point. June was, by normal standards, a poor month, but it was preceded by a hefty 66-point gain in May, and with July’s profit taken into account, a quarterly yield of more than 63 points was accrued.

There’s never a sense of panic; the winners will appear when they are ready. The first fourteen days of July produced two seconds, three thirds, a non-runner and eight unplaced selections, but the success of Debawtry (8/1 advice) at Hamilton Park on 15 July was followed, three days later, by anther winning selection, Whatwouldyouknow (12/1 advice, Redcar). There were no further winners that week although a couple of seconds (at 11/1 and 11/2) would have satisfied each-way followers.

At this point, the balance sheet was slightly in the red, but two Glorious Goodwood winners, Migration (13/2 advice, 27 July) and Alcohol Free (9/1 advice, 28 July) ensured the month would end with a healthy profit.

For most of the month, it was the second Steve Jones service, Probets, which led the table. Five winners in the opening third of the month included Gweedore (4/1 advice, Ayr, 5 July) and Tregony (11/4 advice, Bath, 7 July). Teescomponentsfly (5/1 advice, 13/2 sp, Redcar, 18 July) maintained this momentum which continued thanks to the Goodwood success of Roger Varian’s charge Nagano (5/1 advice), who gained compensation for a luckless run at Royal Ascot to win the Unibet “15 to go” Handicap.

Despite topping January’s table (albeit with a miniscule loss), Personal Info have now posted six monthly profits on the bounce, thanks to July’s 0.4-point yield. Once again, a big festival meeting brought out the best in the long-established service. Four Goodwood races attracted attention and the winner of all four contests was advised. First it was Angel Bleu (7/2 advice, 27 July). Then followed Armor (6/1 advice, 28 July), Asymmetric (11/4, 29 July) and Imperial Fighter (9/1, 31 July). And, just for good measure, the month ended with the success at Hamilton Park of Emaraaty Ana (10/11 advice, 31 July).

July was also a busy month for Personal Info’s Saturday-Only service, which registered a 0.1-point profit. This would have been much bigger but for a ‘close but no cigar’ day on 17 July when three selections were placed. Those selections that did the business included True Courage (11/2, Leicester, 3 July), Native Trail (11/4 advice, Newmarket, 10 July), Tricky Business (7/2 advice, Newcastle, 24 July) and Imperial Fighter (9/1 advice, Goodwood, 31 July).

Daily Bargain’s progress towards a record-equalling fifth Besttipping title was checked last month as a 13-point loss saw Steve Jones’ service come back to the field slightly. At the end of May, Daily Bargain enjoyed a cushion of almost 86 points, but now that’s down to just less than 72 points. But that still leaves Daily Bargain in a commanding position, especially as nearest rivals, Mark Your Card, are posting far less selections than of old.

Although Daily Bargain was out of sorts, June proved to be an excellent month for stablemate Probets, who topped the month’s listing with a 4.8-point gain.

Personal Info’s Saturday-Only service finished second in June having earned a2.6-point yield with Mark Your Card (2.2 points) and Personal Info (2.1) taking third and fourth positions.

So often Probets have narrowly missed out, with a high proportion of runners finishing second or third, but in June it was the other way around: 22 of the 30 selections finished in the first three, with ten winning. Seven of the ten successes came during a red-hot 13-day period mid-month. However, the month’s best return came via Irish Derby winner, Hurricane Lane, an 11/2 advice on the eve of the race (run at the Curragh on 26 June).

Despoina (100/30, Thirsk, 3 June), Tricorn (7/2, Ayr, 8 June), Siam Fox (5/2, Doncaster, 13 June) and Tregony (5/2, Nottingham, 14 June) also helped the cause, while Royal Ascot was marked with a pair of winning selections, Mohaafeth (11/8, 17 June) and Alenquer (2/1, 18 June).

Second placed Personal Info Saturday-Only were in outstanding form, securing a 67% return on investment. Each-way advice Nazuna (15/2 sp) came home in second place at Epsom on Derby Day (5 June), while Atalis Bay (7/4, Sandown, 12 June) and Point Lonsdale (11/8, Royal Ascot, 19 June) both won their races. And in both cases further profit was earned via placed each-way selections, Steel Bull (17/2) and Reach For The Moon (11/1 sp).

A quiet month for Mark Your Card ended with a useful profit of 2.2 points. James Watt, a 17/2 advice, triumphed at Ripon on 2 June, while good each-way returns were secured from The Blame Game at Cartmel (16/1), Don’t Joke (17/2, Nottingham) and Daafr (17/2, Ayr, all on 2 June).

A fifth winning month out of six was Personal Info’s reward for a solid month’s work that included three Royal Ascot winners: Palace Pier (4/9, 15 June), Mohaafeth (13/8, 17 June) and Point Lonsdale (11/8, 19 June). And June ended on a high with Kayfast Warrior (3/1 sp) winning at Thirsk on the last day of the month.

So, what happened with Daily Bargain? Just two winners – a brace of 13/2 shots, Data Protection (Newmarket, 25 June) and Zeeband (Newcastle, 26 June) – but six runners-up (8/1, 11/1, 16/1, 7/1, 13/2 and 8/1) suggests that the fates were conspiring against the reigning champion. Historically, though, Daily Bargain have a tendency to bounce back from adversity in speedy fashion. Don’t forget, the year opened with a 13-point loss which was followed by monthly yields of 24.5 pts, 24.1 pts, 21 pts and 66 pts. So, don’t be surprised if something similar happens this time around.