Keith Melrose: You can bag big early scores by including Clan Des Obeaux

It is handicappers who have lost out in the adjustments to the bonus races for this season’s Ten To Follow, so if you want to include a horse who is on its way to Grade 1s then you had better bank on them making the transition before the turn of the year.

Of the 21 bonus races, 15 are after January 1, so make sure those aimed at the big festivals from the Dublin Racing Festival onwards take precedence. With that said, Clan Des Obeaux might win the Betfair Chase and King George before coming back in spring for the Bowl, so he should be on your list.

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Staying chasers are likely to be the mainstays of any successful list. A Plus Tard is a more appealing option than Minella Indo as he will have more than just one big day and his campaign seems likely to be made up of bonus races. Also take Galvin, who will give you a shot at one of the Gold Cup or Grand National, if not both. The slight concern that we might not see him much in the meantime is a risk that is just about worth taking.

There is room for a fourth staying chaser – you can even justify a fifth if the division is your beat. It is mine and I am going to include a couple of handicappers who might be Grade 1 class but are more likely to be aimed at the big bonus handicaps.

Time To Get Up looks a sure thing to go off short for one of the big four Nationals, with Aintree likeliest but Chepstow an alternative given he was a heavy-ground winner last season.

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It is a bit early to make a choice between two-mile chasers Shishkin and Energumene. The jury is still out for me and it is easy to imagine both having palm leaves laid out for them in Grade 1s on the way to the festival. Pick both and let the gods decide.

The other divisions where the main representatives select themselves are the two-mile hurdlers and two-and-a-half-mile chasers. Honeysuckle was not just a dominant Champion Hurdle winner in March but she has also won the last two Irish Champion Hurdles, the only pre-Cheltenham bonus race in the division.

Allaho is hard to exclude. He is possibly the best horse in training and ought to win the Ryanair again, assuming he sticks to the trip – as seems likely with Envoi Allen and A Plus Tard blocking the path upwards and stablemate Energumene in wait over shorter. Hopefully, his owners will be encouraged by A Plus Tard’s slated run in the Betfair Chase to let Allaho pot-hunt races like the Ascot Chase, which is not a bonus race but carries plenty of points as a Grade 1.

Logic suggests erring on the side of the Brits among staying hurdlers as the only bonus race besides the Stayers’ Hurdle is at Aintree. However, the Irish have more races during the season and a dominant force there can have a big points haul in the bag while British rivals are still getting their trousers on. For me, Flooring Porter should be favourite for the big day and withstood a busy campaign last year. He could hoover up points.

Easy scores is an underestimated factor in making Tote Ten To Follow selections. Given the points system is based on gradings and mares get a relatively easy ride from the Pattern committee, it makes sense to include at least one from that division. Concertista might have been turned over at Cheltenham last year but can win what she likes in the run-up to the festival and is the natural choice.

KEITH MELROSE'S TEN TO FOLLOW
Allaho
A Plus Tard
Clan Des Obeaux
Concertista
Energumene
Flooring Porter
Galvin
Honeysuckle
Shishkin
Time To Get Up

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