'It's worth including both' - Owen Goulding puts forward his Ten To Follow
Going against the grain with some picks is likely to pay dividends in the Tote Ten To Follow but, with most of the bonus races being Grade 1 contests, there needs to be a bias towards top-class individuals.
You can enter the Tote Ten To Follow here
There are certain horses who are must-haves and they include last year's Gold Cup winnerA Plus Tard. He won the Betfair Chase by 22 lengths on his return last year and was beaten only a short-head in the Savills Chase before his dominant Gold Cup success; a chance of three bonus races cannot be passed up.
Many people will side with Shishkin as a two-mile pick but he is not a rock-solid selection in my eyes and Champion Chase winner Energumene is preferred. He goes on all ground and is tactically versatile, making him dangerous in every race he is aimed at.
The Champion Hurdle – even looking this far ahead – is between and Constitution Hill. Given their dominance of the two-mile division, it's worth including both.
He's another obvious one, but has to be included. He was scintillating over a variety of trips last season and could have the King George and Ryanair Chase at his mercy. Bravemansgame is a similar type to consider, but his aversion to Cheltenham is enough to put me off.
I will throw one staying hurdler into the mix in dual Stayers' Hurdle winner Flooring Porter, who will have plenty of opportunities to add to his Grade 1 tally.
is a very exciting prospect going novice chasing and, with no Constitution Hill in his way this season, Douvan's brother can flourish. Another novice chaser I'm excited to see is Grade 1-winning hurdler Three Stripe Life, who looks certain to make into a smart staying chaser for his formidable trainer, Gordon Elliott.
Dusart did little wrong last season and connections think plenty of the lightly raced seven-year-old. He could start his season in the Coral Gold Cup before being tried at higher levels.
Last year's tearaway Welsh Grand National winner Iwilldoitis also worth including. He has been absent since that race but starts the season off 149 and will remain a force off that mark.
Owen Goulding's Ten To Follow
Allaho
A Plus Tard
Constitution Hill
Dusart
Energumene
Flooring Porter
Honeysuckle
Iwilldoit
Jonbon
Three Stripe Life
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