Vintage display seals March glory for Mark Your Card

2021-03-31

For the first time since last August, Mark Your Card celebrated a monthly Besttipping crown. A 24.1- point yield last month secured a comfortable victory ahead of Daily Bargain, Personal Info and Personal Info Saturday-Only, who all posted profitable March returns.

Mark Your Card’s success was built around two big-priced winners, and a clutch of placed selections who earned valuable each-way returns. It all added up to a return on investment (ROI) of 119%.

The victory of the veteran Vintage Clouds in the Ultima Handicap Chase on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival (16 March) would, in normal circumstances, have lifted the roof. But, despite playing to an empty house, his 28/1 success brought delight to Mark Your Card’s subscribers as Trevor Hemmings’ gelding, and fourth placed Cepage (18/1) were both advised. There were also nice each-way profits from Snow Leopardess (16/1) later in the afternoon and 28/1 Coole Cody two days later.

Eight days after Vintage Clouds win, there were further Mark Your Card celebrations when the tenacious Beau Haze denied a Dan Skelton-trained hotshot in a novice hurdle at Hereford. Sent off at 20/1, the Conor Ring-ridden gelding (who less than six weeks before had been pulled-up when tailed off at Taunton), was advised at a mouth-watering price if 40/1.

It’s rare for Daily Bargain to let Cheltenham pass without nailing a winner, but that was the case this time around. However, three of the four selections at the meeting were placed including Eclair De Beaufea, who was fourth in the County Hurdle at 12/1.  

That’s not to say March was a poor month for Daily Bargain who found five winners to register an 8.5-point return.

Golden Emblem (6/1, Wincanton, 3 March) and Ravenhill Road (8/1, Doncaster, 5 March) helped the month get off to a flying start.

Plenty of selections thereafter finished in the money, but it wasn’t until 22 March that the winning thread was regained, thanks to Court Master (6/1, Kelso). Two days later Chef D’Oeuvre (9/1) got up in the last strides to win a thrilling renewal of the Tim Molony Chase at Haydock, while Take It Easy (9/2, Ludlow, 25 March) made it three wins from four selections.

Personal Info have made a solid start to the year with January’s table topping effort being followed by profits in February and March. The latest, a 5.3-point gain, was the result of a selective approach, and featured yet another profitable Cheltenham.

Six races were put under the PI microscope and in five cases the winning horse was identified – that is an impressive 83% win to race ratio. The winners were: Magna Moralia (11/2 advice, Kelso, 6 March), Fiordland (6/5, Wolverhampton, 13 March), Bob Olinger (15/8 advice, Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, Cheltenham, 17 March), Telmesomethinggirl (5/1 advice, Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, Cheltenham, 18 March) and Champagne Mystery (5/2, Kempton, 20 March).

And there was further good news for Personal Info, as the Saturday-Only service secured a 100% win to race ratio thanks to the victories of Magna Moralia, Fiordland and Champagne Mystery detailed above. The return was 4.7 points (60% ROI) and a ninth month of profit from the last 13.

Although Probets found the winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham (Appreciate It, 11/8, 16 March), the rest of the month was galling as selection after selection made the frame. Out of 29 selections, 18 finished in the first three, but only five of these took the honours.  Best priced of the month’s winners was Away For Slates, successful at Fontwell at 9/4 on 29 March.

Thanks to March’s successes, Mark Your Card have now moved into second position in the overall table with an 11-point profit. Reigning champs, Daily Bargain still lead the way, nine points clear of the field. The two Personal Info services are also well placed as we enter the second quarter of the year.