Jamie Radford names his selections on launch day for the Tote Ten to Follow competition for the 2023/24 Jumps season.
On Tuesday 31st October (11am), The Tote will open its 2023/24 Ten To Follow competition giving players until 11am on the 18th November to enter their stables to be in a with a chance of winning their share of the jackpot, which Tote have set at a minimum of £100,000.
Tote Ten to Follow Tips
Jamie Radford has three key Tote Ten to Follow Tips for those looking to finalise their selections for this year’s Jumps Season competition.
Be generous with Grade 1 three-mile chasers
There are six bonus races for Grade 1 staying chasers with four of these happening before the transfer window in March. With two of these, the Savills and the Irish Gold Cup, happening in Ireland, and two of them over in the UK, it is worth being represented on both sides of the Irish sea.
Bravemansgame, who’s entered in the Charlie Hall chase at Wetherby on Saturday, is a firm favourite to follow up his King George success last year. If successful he earns your stable 50 points, and Paul Nicholls has said that he may run in the Betfair Chase if the ground at Wetherby is too fast.
That means he will run in two Grade 1 Bonus Races before the transfer window in March. Come then, you can make your own decision whether to stick or twist. Whilst Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs is set to run in both the Savills Chase and the Irish Gold Cup which are both Grade 1 bonus races.
With all these races and, moreover, an uncertainty at the pecking order from novices, it is wise to have at least two staying chasers on side and potentially up to three or four.
BUT … Hold off on the Staying hurdlers
Whilst it looks worth getting many staying chasers involved the same may not be true for the hurdlers. Firstly, they only have two bonus races which both come after the transfer window.
This buys you months of times to assess the division and work out who you want on side. Moreover, even the races before March are not as highly scored with the Long Walk Hurdle being the only Grade 1 hurdle race run over three miles in the UK before March.
Conversely, two mile hurdlers have both the Fighting Fifth and the Christmas Hurdle run before January. It may only be worth having a maximum of one staying hurdler at the start.
Pay attention to Stable Tours for return dates
Before picking the horses you think may be winning at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, pay attention to when they are likely to return.
For example, Lossiemouth will not be seen until after new year, meaning that she is unlikely to accumulate many points before the transfer window, therefore it may pay dividends to exclude her right now with a view to potentially subbing her in come March.
Tote Ten to Follow Selections | Jamie Radford
1. Constitution Hill
Three words; obvious but necessary. With a plan of running in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth, the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle and the Grade 2 International Hurdle before March, Nicky Henderson’s stable star should collect an easy 70 points before the transfer window.
He should then be a firm favourite to win the Champion Hurdle before potentially running in the Aintree Hurdle again, both of which are Grade 1 bonus races. If he wins those five races, and he won four of them last season, he will amass 170 points by himself.
2. Impaire Et Passe
Don’t let your opinion of Constitution Hill’s superiority dismiss the fact that Impaire Et Passe has an opportunity to collect a lot of points before March.
Mullins has confirmed he is due to run in the Grade 1 Hatton’s Grace before contesting the Irish Champion Hurdle, a bonus race, meaning he could collect 75 points before the transfer window - five more than Constitution Hill. Then, if you feel Constitution Hill is far ahead, you may sub him out.
3. Bravemansgame
This is a slightly risky selection because he may only run in one race before March; the Grade 1 King George, also a bonus race. Nicholls will be keen to back up his win in the race last year and as long as the ground is not too quick he will start off in the Charlie Hall Chase on Saturday.
However, if the ground is too quick, he will start off in the Betfair Chase, a Grade 1 Bonus race. That would double his value so players may want to wait until this weekend to see where he goes.
However, I would argue that even if he misses the Betfair Chase he is almost certain the win the King George which is worth 50 points. That is more than enough and if you’re not keen on his chances in the Ryanair Chase then you can sub him out come March.
4. Galopin Des Champs
Similar comments to Constitution Hill here. Although the Gold Cup winner got beat at Punchestown, it can be known to throw up some strange results. Moreover, he is due to run in the John Durkan, the Savills Chase, the Irish Gold Cup and the Cheltenham Gold Cup (2/1 favourite) in March.
With all of the four races being Grade 1’s and three of them being bonus races as well, he has the potential to collect 175 points this season. A must have.
5. Marine Nationale
There are two Grade 1’s for 2 mile Irish Novice Chasers before March, at Leopardstown over Christmas and back there at the Dublin Racing Festival. The Arkle Chase is also a bonus race at the Cheltenham Festival and so it is worth inspecting this division carefully.
Marine Nationale is the obvious starting point having won the Supreme Novices' Hurdle easily beating Facile Vega in 2nd and Inthepocket in 4th. The form has been boosted, too, with both Facile Vega and Inthepocket following up in Grade 1’s at Aintree and Punchestown and the 11th placed Fennor Cross winning a competitive handicap hurdle at Aintree.
Barry Connell has said that Marine Nationale could start off in a Beginners Chase at Navan on the 18th November. Leopardstown Grade 1’s over Christmas and February, at the Dublin Racing Festival, give him a potential 60 points if he won all three.
6. Jonbon
El Fabiolo should beat Jonbon come March but Jonbon has more potential for points before then. Now Energumene is out for the season, it seems that El Fabiolo is going to copy his seasonal plan with Willie Mullins confirming the Hilly Way Chase, Energumene’s starting race for the past two years, as his starting point.
Importantly, that rules out an overseas trip for the Tingle Creek. In addition to this, both Edwardstone and Greaneteen, last year’s Tingle Creek 1-2, have plans to step up in trip with Edwardstone aiming for the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon, and Greaneteen aiming for the Chanelle Pharma at Ascot. To put the cherry on the cake, Jonbon is 2-2 at Sandown, twice winning Grade 1’s.
All of these factors conspire that Jonbon is a shoe in for the 2023 Tingle Creek and with this race being a Grade 1 Bonus race, it is worth 50 points. I’d imagine he would then go to the Grade 1 Clarence House or the Grade 2 Game Spirit. This means he is realistically going to score either 70 or 75 points before we sub him for El Fabiolo in March.
7. Protektorat
Protektorat was readily prepared for the Betfair Chase last season and I’m hoping the Skeltons will have prepped him as fiercely this year too. With Bravemansgame likely to run in the Charlie Hall, the only real competition is from Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin. Indeed, it should not be underestimated the task it took to beat Ahoy Senor at Aintree, a horse who had won Grade 1’s at the past two festivals.
However, Shishkin will be brought and carefully by the cautious Nicky Henderson. His main aim is the King George and the Gold Cup and not the Betfair Chase. However, the Betfair Chase is Protektorat’s main aim and with this race worth 50 points, I’m happy to select him.
8. Marie’s Rock
The final three furlongs of Cheltenham’s Mares' Hurdle, run over 2m 4f, was quicker than both the two mile races. It must be reminded that those races were won by Marine Nationale and Constitution Hill and yet horses like Queens Brook and Love Envoi were quicker. This is because the race was incredibly slowly run and offered up a sprint finish.
This did not suit Marie’s Rock who, after winning the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day, was being considered for the three mile Stayers’ Hurdle. However, she bounced back to form at Aintree in the Liverpool hurdle when getting her chance over three miles and finished 2nd to Stayers Hurdle winner Sire du Berlais. As remarkable as he was, he will be 12 next year and Marie’s Rock, who’s had only one go at the staying trip, will be nine.
I think she has an excellent chance of winning the Stayers’ Hurdle come March. However, before then, she should be collecting the Long Walk Hurdle as well as the Cleeve which would give her 45 points pre-Cheltenham. But with both the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Aintree Hurdle being bonus races, she has the potential for 145 points by the end of the season.
9. Monbeg Genius
The Ultima Handicap form couldn’t have worked out better with 1st placed Corach Rambler winning the Grand National and 2nd placed Fastorslow subsequently beating Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs at Punchestown.
Monbeg Genius was right with them up the run-in and, being only seven, has the capability of landing a big race this year. Both the Coral Gold Cup and the Welsh Grand National are possible targets, and with both also being bonus races, he’s included.
10. Gaelic Warrior
The last spot was between Gaelic Warrior and Corbetts Cross but with the former all but being confirmed for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase on the Wednesday I give him preference. After finishing 2nd in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, run 40 minutes before on the Wednesday, he stepped up to three miles at Punchestown and won convincingly.
2nd place Affordable Fury has already won his beginners chase since and I think Gaelic Warrior could make big strides in this division with Grade 1’s available at Leopardstown during Christmas and the Festival en route to Cheltenham.
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Tote Ten to Follow Rules
With over 500 horses available to pick, players must choose only 10 horses to form their stable. Players can have an unlimited number of stables which each one costing £5.
Horses are awarded points for winning and placing in their races throughout the season starting from 18th November until 13th April 2024. The higher quality a races, the higher the points to be won. The exact totals for race wins are as follows:
- Grade 1 – 25 Points
- Grade 2 – 20 Points
- Grade 3 – 15 Points
- Listed – 12 Points
- Any Other Race - 10 Points
There are an additional 21 Bonus Races with 25 points awarded to winners and 12 points given to the runners-up. The 21 Bonus Races for the 2023/24 season are as follows:
- Betfair Chase (Haydock)
- Coral Gold Cup (Newbury)
- Tingle Creek Chase (Sandown)
- King George VI Chase (Kempton)
- Welsh Grand National (Chepstow)
- Savills Chase (Leopardstown)
- Irish Champion Hurdle (Leopardstown)
- Irish Gold Cup (Leopardstown)
- Betfair Hurdle (Newbury)
- Arkle Chase (Cheltenham)
- Champion Hurdle (Cheltenham)
- Queen Mother Champion Chase (Cheltenham)
- Brown Advisory Chase (formerly the RSA Chase) (Cheltenham)
- Stayers’ Hurdle (Cheltenham),
- Ryanair Chase (Cheltenham)
- Gold Cup (Cheltenham)
- Betway Bowl (Aintree)
- Aintree Hurdle (Aintree)
- Melling Chase (Aintree)
- Liverpool Stayers’ Hurdle (Aintree)
- Grand National (Aintree)
With Cheltenham and Aintree making up 12 of the 21 Bonus Races, there is a week-long transfer window which takes place at the start of March. Within the transfer window, players are able to swap out a maximum of two horses.
