Tom Segal concentrates on staying chasers in his Ten To Follow list

With so many of the bonus races being chases, it makes sense to keep the hurdlers to a minimum when compiling any Ten To Follow list.

Given her total dominance last season, the Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle has to go in as she was the highest point-scorer last season and will have the same schedule this year.

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Flooring Porter was the next highest-scoring hurdler and it is tempting to think he can win the Stayers' Hurdle again but he will have stiffer competition, especially from Klassical Dream and Buzz.

Klassical Dream could be a superstar but he is being aimed at a clash with Honeysuckle to start off his season and he has a history of injury issues, so the safest staying hurdler to include might well be the Cesarewitch winner Buzz, who might be a class above those he faces in Britain and looks certain to improve for the step up to 3m.

That will do for the hurdlers and the rest of any list should be made up with chasers, especially staying ones.

A Plus Tard picks himself as he looks likely to have a season tailored entirely around bonus races. Similar sentiments apply to Clan Des Obeaux and the good thing about having those two in any list is that A Plus Tard has to go left-handed, while Clan is at his best going right. Consequently they aren't going to clash often if at all.

Festival winner Galvin stays very well and loves Cheltenham, so he could be the dark horse for the Gold Cup after splitting the King George and Gold Cup winners at Down Royal recently. He could easily take in the National afterwards too.

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The other two staying chasers I've included are handicappers who could easily step up to Graded races if they are as good as I think they are. The first is Ontheropes, who was impressive in the Munster National and has rock-solid claims in the second bonus race, the Ladbrokes Trophy, while Secret Reprieve won the Welsh National easily last season and should have that race on his agenda again before a tilt at Aintree.

As for the two-mile chasers, it's hard to leave out Shishkin, who is unbeaten when he has completed over fences, loves Cheltenham and is the obvious heir apparent to Altior and Sprinter Sacre for Nicky Henderson.

The other unbeaten novice chaser Energumene is obviously going to be popular too, maybe more so than his stablemate Chacun Pour Soi, whose bubble was burst in the Champion Chase.

Chacun Pour Soi could return to the position as the top two-mile chaserCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

However, I don't think Chacun Pour Soi was anywhere near his best at Cheltenham and, on form, he's still the pre-eminent two-chaser. I prefer him of the two for competition purposes.

Novice chasers are always popular in the Tote Ten to Follow because they can rack up easy points. Shishkin was the second-highest point-scorer last year and no doubt the likes of Appreciate It, Galopin Des Champs, My Drogo and especially Bob Olinger are going to be extremely popular.

I wouldn't put anyone off them but we already know Third Time Lucki jumps really well and the form of his Cheltenham romp has started to work out nicely. While the Irish totally dominated the Cheltenham Festival last season the two shorter-distance novice chases were won by British-trained horses and, on what he showed on his chase debut, Third Time Lucki should line up in the Arkle with a chance come March.

TOM SEGAL'S TEN TO FOLLOW
A Plus Tard
Buzz
Chacun Pour Soi
Clan Des Obeaux
Galvin
Honeysuckle
Ontheropes
Secret Reprieve
Shishkin
Third Time Lucki

Read more on the Tote Ten To Follow

Mark Howard: Galopin Des Champs expected to excel over fences

Graeme Rodway: keeping it simple can pay off in search of bonus points

Richard Birch: Bear Ghylls will tough it out with the best this winter

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

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