'If he can improve another 10lb he’ll be up there with the best'

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Abacadabras

The points structure demands we concentrate on proven Grade 1 performers or potential Grade 1 aspirants; this one falls in the latter category. Gordon Elliott has an unbelievable team of young hurdlers and Abacadabras looks destined for Grade 1 novice success in Ireland, starting perhaps with the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse on December 1.

Al Boum Photo

He’s a tricky one for contestants: he may have only two or three runs all season, but he’s the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, who will be trained to the minute in a repeat bid, so we can’t ignore him.

Altior

His Grade 1-winning tally in the last three seasons reads 4-2-3. Why should this season be different? Okay, he might sink to his first defeat if his stamina is stretched too far, but then he’ll come back down in trip and continue doing what he does brilliantly.

Andy Dufresne

Another of Gordon Elliott’s young potential superstars. Should amass a stack of points in the Graded novice hurdles at around 2m4f.

Bacardys

Has flirted with chasing but it looks a shrewd move to keep him hurdling; the merit of his recent Navan win was overshadowed by defeat for Apple’s Jade, but there’s a vacancy at the top of the staying hurdle tree in Ireland and he’s a candidate to fill it.

Battleoverdoyen

A must for the RSA shortlist after chasing wins at Galway and Punchestown. Could earn Grade 1 points on the way at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting.

Benie Des Dieux

This monster mare has bagged four Grade 1s in her last five starts. As a prolific winner over hurdles and fences it’s difficult to know for sure where she might end up come the spring, but the signs are she stays hurdling and she should amass a pile of points.

Borice

Five of the 15 Ten to Follow bonus races are handicaps for staying chasers, so your list should contain at least a couple of improving handicappers. This Galway Plate hero will have some big handicap targets once the ground dries up a bit. Could be a possible successor to Tiger Roll at Aintree.

Bristol De Mai

Last season’s Gold Cup third never quite gets the credit he deserves but he runs well in stacks of Grade 1s and is holding his form a lot better nowadays since wind surgery. Could also enter calculations for the Grand National.

Burrows Saint

Last season’s Irish Grand National winner is yet another who could come into the Grand National reckoning next spring. After his prominent showing in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris over Auteuil’s massive fences he should find Aintree’s smaller obstacles a doddle.

Buveur D’Air

He may have lost his air of invincibility with three defeats last season, but the dual champion hurdler has still won seven Grade 1s in the last three seasons and there are so few young pretenders coming through that he should pick up plenty of points en route to Cheltenham.

Chacun Pour Soi

Has had only two runs in the last three seasons so there is an element of risk in his inclusion. Willie Mullins is adamant his embryo champion is not fragile at all, so there’s every hope we’ll see more of him this season. The trainer would dearly love to win his first Champion Chase.

Champ

Early indications are he could live up to his name over fences. Already short-priced ante-post favourite for the RSA Chase, he will be hard to beat in the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novice Chase over Christmas.

Cilaos Emery

Another whose fragility means he may not run too often – always a potential drawback for Ten to Follow contestants – but this chaser is all class and looks set to be contesting Grade 1s sooner rather than later.

Clan Des Obeaux

Often in the Ten to Follow it pays to keep things simple and stick to the obvious. This horse won last season’s King George and his trainer Paul Nicholls thinks he can do it again. History is on his side: Kicking King, Kauto Star, Long Run and Silviniaco Conti have all won it at least twice since 2004. And two of those were trained by Nicholls.

Coeur Sublime

Smart juvenile hurdlers so often struggle as five-year-olds so their inclusion in the Ten to Follow carries an element of risk. But last season’s Triumph Hurdle runner-up looks to have improved so much judged by his comeback win he won’t have to progress much further to be a genuine Grade 1 contender, from 2m to 2m4f.

Cyrname

Needs to go right-handed so don’t think of him as a Cheltenham or Aintree points scorer. But he could provide Paul Nicholls with another string to his King George bow, and if he fails to stay 3m at Kempton he could always go back to Ascot – his favourite track – and win another Grade 1 Ascot Chase.

Defi Du Seuil

Should be a regular player in senior Grade 1s and it’s his versatility trip-wise that makes him so attractive for Ten to Follow players. He can operate at 2m (as he showed in the Shloer Chase), 2m4f (as he showed in the JLT) and quite possibly at 3m.

Delta Work

On the face of it he was a shade disappointing on his return in the Champion Chase at Down Royal and he didn’t jump as well as he can, but he improved a lot from his first run to his second run last season and a repeat could be on the cards. His RSA third isn’t quite as good as it looked all summer but he should still have a major shout in the Irish staying Grade 1s.

Dlauro

A bit dark this one, but he impressed in his point-to-point and again in his bumper; trained by Joseph O’Brien for JP McManus, connections are now making encouraging noises as he’s about to embark on his hurdling career. Could be very good by all accounts.

Douvan

Made a successful comeback at Clonmel last week, and even if he isn’t quite the force of old he can still give Willie Mullins a powerful hand in Graded 2m-2m4f chases in Ireland.

Dynamite Dollars

Injury means we won’t see him out until the new year but he could make up for lost time in the second half of the season. He’d been strongly fancied for the Arkle before suffering his setback and his novice form has been well boosted.

Envoi Allen

The most exciting young horse in Ireland and he belongs in the ‘could be anything’ category. Can rack up points through the winter and come Cheltenham it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if connections opted for an ambitious tilt at the Champion Hurdle.

Fakir D’Oudairies

It’s 13 years since the last five-year-old (Voy Por Ustedes) won the Racing Post Arkle, but that doesn’t put me off this one. Couldn’t have been more impressive in brushing aside the classy Melon on his fencing debut, and even if the bonus-race Arkle is considered on the sharp side, there’s always the Grade 1 JLT.

Frodon

His toughness should ensure he contests plenty of Grade 1s and his fantastic jumping can help him pick up plenty of points along the way.

Fusil Raffles

Those who saw him as a possible successor to Buveur D’Air were less than impressed by his Wincanton win, but he was only half fit and the ground would have been softer than he likes. At least the Elite Hurdle showed he has trained on and, being in the Nicky Henderson team, he’s in the right hands to develop into a top-class hurdler.

Honeysuckle

There aren’t many better mares around, so even if she fails to cut the mustard against the geldings, Graded mares’ races should come her way.

If The Cap Fits

Trainer Harry Fry has had an unusually quiet start to the season but it’s surely only a matter of time before the tide turns. Judged on the Aintree Grade 1 win in April by If The Cap Fits, he is one of the few who are up to challenging Paisley Park’s stranglehold in the staying division.

Janika

Frustratingly, he took a huge leap in the handicap ratings last season without winning once, but the handicapper may have got it right as he humped top weight to victory in the Haldon Gold Cup on his return, so Graded chases will now be on the agenda. Nicky Henderson is good at finding opportunities for a horse like this who may end up several pounds shy of top-class.

Klassical Dream

The inclusion of the Irish Champion Hurdle as a bonus race gives us the opportunity to include a horse who could win the Leopardstown Grade 1 and go on to double up at Cheltenham, netting a big points haul in the process. Despite getting turned over in the Morgiana, Klassical Dream remains the most obvious candidate.

Laurina

This monster of a mare is prominent in ante-post betting for the Stayers’ Hurdle, the Arkle and RSA Chase (all worth 50 points), plus the Mares’ Hurdle and JLT Chase (both 25 points). It doesn’t matter where she ends up, she’s all class and must be followed.

Le Richebourg

The brilliant Joseph O’Brien is already on the scoresheet at the Cheltenham Festival and this talented chaser could develop into a leading hope for the Champion Chase. Looks the type for the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase (if fit enough following injury last season) and the Dublin Chase, both Grade1s at Leopardstown.

Lostintranslation

Colin Tizzard has trained some outstanding chasers in recent years – think Cue Card, Native River and Thistlecrack – but you get the feeling he thinks this one might turn out better than any of them. That’s a tall order, but the signs are he can close the gap between novice and second-season chaser and he looks tough enough to be contesting plenty of Grade 1s.

Min

Successful in three Grade 1s last season so would have ended up a big points scorer had we had the Ten to Follow. Doesn’t show his best at Cheltenham for some reason but is very consistent elsewhere.

Minella Indo

Yet to show his face in public this autumn but last season’s leading staying novice hurdler is already near the top of the betting for the RSA Chase. Even if he comes off second-best against Champ, he should have plenty of points on the board by then.

Native River

To be a modern-day Grand National winner you need to be a class horse who stays at least 3m4f; this horse ticks both those important boxes, and if Tiger Roll is in the line-up next April, Native River would be a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner carrying 11st 5lb. Attractive or not!

Notebook

Has looked a complete natural when putting in an excellent round of jumping on his first two outings over fences, both at Punchestown. Surely destined for better things and has major Arkle potential.

Paisley Park

The reigning king of the staying hurdlers looks in no imminent danger of being dethroned because pretenders to his crown aren’t exactly queuing up. Something is bound to emerge out of the pack, but once again it might pay to stick to the obvious.

Pentland Hills

He didn’t look the greatest Triumph Hurdle winner of recent years, but the festival form keeps getting boosted, and the second, third, fifth and sixth are all good winners since, so perhaps we shouldn’t underestimate him. Nicky Henderson holds most of the aces in the Graded hurdles in Britain.

Politologue

Must have become fed up with chasing Altior’s backside over the past two seasons but all is not lost. Altior moving up in trip could allow him to get back on the scoresheet in 2m Grade 1s, while a close-season breathing operation has left connections very optimistic. Bit below best on his return but plenty of the stable runners have needed their first outing.

Ronald Pump

Trained in Kilmessan, County Meath by Matthew Smith and if he hailed from one of the larger yards we might have heard more about him by now. He was a big improver over hurdles last season and it could be a similar story over fences. Jumped like an old hand in a beginners’ chase on his fencing debut and is clearly destined for much greater things.

Saldier

So the whispers that have circulated for months proved spot-on. You wouldn’t have thought he’d had just one run in the last year and a half when he pounced on Klassical Dream and co. in the Morgiana Hurdle. He is now one of the leading members of a small pool of classy hurdlers capable of dominating the Irish Grade 1s.

Samcro

After last season’s nightmare the former wonder horse is back in business, now over fences. It’s still too early to say he’s as good as ever, but judged on his chasing debut it won’t be long before he’s back in Grade 1 company.

Santini

Didn’t please too many onlookers with the style and substance of his comeback win, but 3m is scarcely far enough for him. He’s got big potential as a staying chaser and will be seen to better effect granted a stiffer test of stamina. Don’t give up on him.

Sharjah

Willie Mullins, who trains Klassical Dream and Saldier, also has Sharjah, so he has a powerful team to go to war with in the Grade 1 hurdles. Two of them came this one’s way last winter.

Takingrisks

Don’t worry about the ten-year-old’s advancing years, last season’s Scottish National winner is far from fully exposed over marathon distances so could yet make a name for himself in that category.

Thyme Hill

Two wins in Grade 2 company make him the best British-trained staying novice hurdler we’ve seen so far; an obvious sort for the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle en route to the Cheltenham Festival.

Un De Sceaux

His Grade 1 haul in the last three seasons reads 1-2-3 and if that suggests the 11-year-old chaser is in decline, not a bit of it. He remains one of the most consistent jumpers in training so is sure to reward his supporters yet again.

Vinndication

In most seasons an improving handicapper emerges from the pack to challenge for senior honours. Step forward Kim Bailey’s chaser, whose record is hard to fault, except that he needs to go right-handed. If he can improve another 10lb he’ll be up there with the best.

Yala Enki

Last season’s Welsh National third has joined Paul Nicholls, who straight away gave him a breathing operation. If that improves him by a few pounds he’s going to be of major interest in the big staying handicaps.

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