DARING AFFAIR'S value as a potential brood-mare will increase significantly if as expected she wins the opener at Southwell this afternoon.

Karl Burke's filly is a daughter of Daring Destiny, successful in the Ayr Gold Cup as well as a Group 2 event during the early-nineties. With such an impressive pedigree Daring Affair (1.15) only needs to get one win on the board in order to show she has at least inherited a little of her high-class mother's talent.

The way forward in this type of case is to source the weakest contest possible and, despite having to hump top-weight, Daring Affair has been found the ideal opportunity to notch her inaugural victory in the Bet Direct Handicap.

Burke's three-year-old demonstrated she acts on the man-made surface by chasing home a useful sort trained by Willie Jarvis over track and trip a couple of weeks ago. Daring Affair has since disappointed at Lingfield, prompting connections to fit a first-time visor, which provided it has the desired effect, should help keep her mind on the job in hand.

A little later in the Littlewoods six-furlong maiden, Starcross Venture (2.45) appears to have a relatively simple task against a bunch of mainly exposed older horses.

Richard Fahey's raider made a pleasing debut when third at Lingfield last month and given natural improvement should make no mistake at only the second time of asking.

James Hetherton's Dash Of Magic (3.45), who won pulling the proverbial cart over course and distance yesterday, bids to follow-up in the closing mile-and-a-half Sky Text Handicap.

Hetherton's six-year-old has to shoulder a 6lb penalty for that triumph, but the additional lead under the saddle is virtually all offset by apprentice jockey Tom Hamilton's 5lb allowance.

Hamilton wouldn't quite have the finesse of yesterday's winning pilot, the vastly experienced Chris Catlin, but he's perfectly competent and can be relied upon to ride a sensible tactical race.

Desperate stuff at Wolverhampton, where only Nakwa (4.00) makes any sort of appeal whatsoever as a viable betting proposition.

While no world-beater, Nakwa still proved good enough to score over today's trip of 12 furlongs on turf at Newcastle in May 2003. Eric Alson's runner also boasts some quite decent form on the fibresand and with nothing much of note to beat in the line-up, must surely hold an outstanding chance.

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