GG legend and RFO writer Andrew Mount (@TrendHorses) takes us through his Ten To Follow selections for 2019/20.
Good news! The Tote have re-launched the Ten To Follow competition, once so popular with punters but allowed to die a slow death under the previous management.
I have fond memories of entering the original competition back in the 1992/1992 jumps season when Gaelstrom’s 16-1 victory in the Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival put me on the leaderboard for all of one day. The cost of a single entry was £5 in the early 90s and, thankfully, the original price has been restored after being pushed up to £10 and then £20 at one stage.
So, how do we win the thing? Looking at the bonus races there are an awful lot of staying chases and we should probably load our entry with the type of horses that are going to be aimed at the likes of the Ladbrokes Trophy and Welsh Grand National.
That said, don’t worry about trying to pick the Grand National winner at this stage. Those being aimed at Aintree’s showpiece are unlikely to run much beforehand and will be trained to peak on the big day in April. We get the chance to use substitutes later in the season, so we can revisit the race nearer the time.
One dark horse to consider in this area is the Stuart Edmunds-trained Now Mcginty. He ran Santini close at Sandown on his reappearance and looks the ideal type for the Welsh Grand National, having won impressively in novice company at Chepstow last season.
Alan King’s Dingo Dollar failed to win last season but he ran third in the Ladbrokes Trophy and perhaps the race came a year too soon for the then six-year-old. Stablemate Smad Place won the same race in 2017 on his second attempt.
Vinndication is proving very difficult to beat on right-handed tracks, recording form figures of 11111131 (7-8), with the defeat coming over an inadequate 2m4f trip behind Defi Du Seuil and Lostintranslation. He could be a lively outsider for the King George.
Kalashnikov was beaten in the Old Roan Chase on his comeback but the lack of fences due to the low sun wouldn’t have helped. His record left-handed reads 1111211U12 (7-10) and he’s likely to be placed to good effect again this season.
One angle I like that could throw up plenty of points is to think about mares’ only races. These are generally uncompetitive small-field affairs but often hold Graded status and will be worth a lot of bonus points. The unbeaten Honeysuckle will be rightly popular, though Paul Webber’s Indefatigable is likely to go under the radar and she caught the eye at Wetherby earlier this month where she raced in the ‘swamp’ towards the inside rail, doing well to finish second to Lady Buttons in the circumstances. She’ll do for me.
The Glancing Queen went into my tracker after her Ascot third last December where she raced on the slowest part of the track and she ended last season with a Grade 2 bumper win at Aintree. She’s now won three of her five starts if we include her point-to-point run and is another who could mop up in the mares’ only races.
Another angle is to include fancied horses who disappointed on desperate ground at Cheltenham’s November meeting, especially those who were making their seasonal debuts. Siruh Du Lac, Spiritofthegames, Big River and Dame De Compagnie all finished unplaced when reappearing at the meeting, despite starting in the first three in the betting. I was at the Ten To Follow launch in London on Monday and panelist Lizzie Kelly, who rode Siruh Du Lac last weekend, included the six-year-old in her list. However, I’m going to side with Dan Skelton’s Spiritofthegames. The ground was too soft for him when pulled up in the BetVictor Gold Cup and he could easily bounce back on a quicker surface next time.
As for the two-mile hurdle division I’m going to include Monsieur Lecoq, best of the prominent racers when third in the Greatwood Hurdle. HIs forcing style will always leave him vulnerable in big fields but he has form figures of U111 (3-4) in fields of 11 or fewer runners since his British debut and could land a Champion Hurdle trial or two when stepped up in class.
Silver Streak, third at 80-1 in last year’s Champion Hurdle, has already been out and won impressively this season, taking his record when fresh for current trainer Evan Williams to 1112U1131 (6-9). He’ll be fresh for the Fighting Fifth and can hopefully land that Grade 1 contest.
I’m also going to throw a novice chaser into the mix, the Alan King-trained Lisp. He was left with too much to do when fourth in a hot handicap hurdle at Ascot on his comeback and looks an exciting chase prospect. There could be plenty of bonus points on offer if he can pick up a Graded novice chase or two on the way to Cheltenham.
Whatever your tactics and whoever you choose, best of luck! You can register your own Tote Ten To Follow here.