Blackmore's festival trio puts new names ahead in pursuit of £39,150 prize

In the same way that results at the Cheltenham Festival can make or break the season for trainers and jockeys so it is with players in the Tote Ten To Follow competition with the leaderboard now displaying a raft of new names after four tumultuous days in Gloucestershire.

Top of the pile in pursuit of a first prize of £39,150 is Johnjoslestersboys with 819.44 points thanks to eight winners at the festival. All ten of the team ran at the meeting, which is impressive considering they had to be picked back in November. Klassical Dream and Shishkin were the two who let the side down even though both were starting-price favourites.

Heading the leader’s list are Honeysuckle and A Plus Tard with game totals of 132.25 and 122.10 points after their bonus race successes in the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup. With the highly fortunate winner Bob Olinger also in the line-up, Rachael Blackmore may be receiving a thank you card if the team can hold on to the finishing line on Grand National day, April 9.

Bob Olinger is a fortuitous victory in the Turners Novices' ChaseCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

However, there is only a 3.70-point gap to second-placed Lastbutnotleast, who had one fewer festival winners as Galvin and Shishkin (the game’s most popular pick after Honeysuckle) failed to score and Thyme Hill contributed just 13.90 for his Stayers’ Hurdle second.

Last year it was Thyme Hill’s Aintree success that changed the destination of the Ten To Follow first prize and he may well have a part to play again this time.

None of the main teams had the horse who heads the list of leading points-scorers, Commander Of Fleet. His Coral Cup victory bagged 84.20 points to add to the 75.50 he picked up at Navan back in December.

Unlike Honeysuckle, who is in 79.9 per cent of lists and A Plus Tard who was picked by 58.6 per cent of players, just 0.1 per cent of stables had the foresight to select Commander Of Fleet.

Leading horses

1 Commander Of Fleet 161.70 points
2 Edwardstone 142.32
3 Honeysuckle 132.25
4 A Plus Tard 122.10
5 Allaho 103.78
6 Cloudy Glen 87.30
7 Conflated 86.60
8 Tornado Flyer 83.60
9 Coole Cody 81.40
10 Energumene 77.52

Leaderboard

1 Johnjoslestersboys 819.44 points
2 Lastbutnotleast 815.74
3 BB 101 Denis2 804.88
4 Jumpforfun 803.13
5 Ggcc2 801.28
6 Darkeys Donkeys 790.69
7 Watch 4 Fun J1 785.53
8 Peps Templars 39 784.01
9 Five Lamps 5 781.66
10 DoobsonDoobs19 780.40

Leading team

Honeysuckle 132.25 points
A Plus Tard 122.10
Allaho 103.78
Energumene 77.52
Sir Gerhard 67.63
Bob Olinger 56.92
Edwardstone 55.20
L’Homme Presse 54.75
Shishkin 48.29
Klassical Dream 28.50

Read these next:

'It's all to play for' - Paul Nicholls primed for Aintree and title challenge

Seven Cheltenham Festival absentees with a score to settle at Aintree

Constitution Hill owner to consider 'something crazy' in taking on Honeysuckle

Sign up here. Place your first bet on racing pools and, win or lose, we'll match your stake up to £25 in Tote Credit. Max Tote Credit is £25. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after seven days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the betslip. Ten to Follow, virtual and football bets do not qualify. Totewin will be the qualifying bet when a Totewin and a Toteplace bet are struck at the same time. New UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org.