Points, mini-leagues, bonus races and transfer windows - here's how it all works

The entry window for the Tote Ten to Follow for the Flat season is now open and for the first time there is an advantage in making your entry early.

There will again be three leagues

A main league with a £5 entry where the size of the top prize is dependent on the number of entries in the pool. 70 per cent of the pool will go to the winner and 30 per cent will be distributed between second to 100th place. There is zero per cent takeout by the Tote.

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A free-to-play league with a £5,000 top prize.

A charity league with a £5,000 top prize.

There are four monthly prizes from June to September, with £10,000 for the top player each month in the main league and £1,000 for the top player in the free-to-play league.

There have been a number of innovations to the game, making it easier for players to enjoy

Amending stables: the competition is now open, with players able to enter up until 11am on Tuesday June 16, the first day of Royal Ascot. Players can edit their stable at any point during this period, so there is no disadvantage in submitting a stable early.

In the event of a dead-heat for any place the player who entered their stable earliest will take the higher position.

The game will run until Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday October 17.

There will be a transfer window in August, but this may be subject to change, given potential amendments to the fixture list.

Creating silks for stables: players can really feel like an owner by creating their own silks for their stables.

Mini leagues can be created, allowing players to take on friends, family, and colleagues.

Multiple stables: there are now two ways to play the game. If players are looking to create stables one by one, they can use Simple Mode. For those wishing to create permutations, Pro Mode allows players to create and enter their own box perms easily. Box perms allow players to be more efficient with permutations to ensure all stables have the correct balance of horses.

For example, if a player thinks they need three top-quality sprinters in their stable, but like five, they can create a box that allocates three positions out of ten to sprinters and add their five picks. This would then ensure each possible combination of any three of those sprinters is added to a stable. You can do the same for horses you think will target certain bonus races or segment your stable anyway you like.

How do you score points?

Horses score points by winning and being placed in races taking place during the competition. The score is based on a combination of points based on the grade of the race and the tote dividend of the successful selection.

You score more points the better the grade of race and there are 25 bonus races.

Points are awarded as follows

Group 1 win - 25 points
Group 2 win - 20 points
Group 3 win - 15 points
Listed win - 12 points
Any other win - 10 points

An additional 25 points are awarded to winners and 12 points for second places in the 25 bonus races.

Points will also be awarded from Tote returns of a £1 each-way bet in each race a horse runs in.

Example: £1 win at 5.50 + £1 place at 1.20 = 6.70 points awarded.

Bonus races

Queen Anne Stakes Royal Ascot June 16
Prince of Wales's Stakes Royal Ascot June 17
Gold Cup Royal Ascot June 18
Commonwealth Cup Royal Ascot June 19
St James's Palace Stakes Royal Ascot June 20
Coronation Stakes Royal Ascot June 20
Diamond Jubilee Stakes Royal Ascot June 20
Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Curragh June 27
Investec Oaks Epsom July 4
Investec Derby Epsom July 4
Coral-Eclipse Stakes Sandown July 5
Darley July Cup Newmarket July 11
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Ascot July 25
Qatar Sussex Stakes Goodwood July 29
Unibet Stewards' Cup Goodwood August 1
Juddmonte International Stakes York August 19
Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes York August 21
Sky Bet Ebor Handicap York August 22
Irish Champion Stakes Leopardstown September 12
St Leger Doncaster September 12
Ayr Gold Cup Ayr September 19
Tote Challenge Cup Handicap Ascot October 3
Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Longchamp October 4
Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Ascot October 17
Qipco Champion Stakes Ascot October 17

The Racing Post newspaper will be back in shops to mark the return of British racing on Monday, June 1! With extensive coverage of all the racing, interviews with the biggest names, tipping from our renowned experts, writing from the likes of Alastair Down and all the cards and form, it's your unmissable guide to all the action. Pick up your copy on Monday.