Ten To Follow 19.12.2018

This weekend all eyes were on Cheltenham as it played host to the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup Handicap Chase and the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle Race.

The point scoring opportunities started off at Warwick on Thursday with their Listed Mares' Novices' Steeple Chase which was won in impressive style by Atlanta Ablaze and Richard Johnson, beating the hotly fancied Jester Jet by an impressive 19 lengths. Unfortunately this wasn't a point scorer for players, but with Cheltenham just around the corner the points weren't too far away. 

Up next was a Grade 3 Handicap Chase at Cheltenham that was bound to provide excitement for Ten To Follow players as 4 of the 9 runners were entered into the competition. The race saw a Titanic battle unfold between Singlefarmpayment and Cogry, with the latter just holding on in the final few strides to get in front by a head. Congratulations to John Blee who was the only player to pick the Nigel Twiston-Davies horse.

Saturday saw 5 point scoring opportunities for players spread across Cheltenham and Doncaster. The first of these was the December Novices' Chase at Doncaster which saw the Kim Bailey horse Rocky's Treasure put in an impressive performance to win by 17 lengths, setting a new course record for good measure. Unfortunately this horse wasn't picked by any of our players, and so no one scored any points as a result of his win. Up next was the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup Handicap Chase which saw Frodon and Bryony Frost defy top weight to win the race for a second time. Well done to Derek Latham who was the only player to put this horse in one of his teams.  

The next two point scoring races were both Grade 2 Hurdle Races. The first at Cheltenham was won by the Colin Tizzard trained Rockpoint who stayed on well in the final furlong to beat some well fancied horses. The second race was at Doncaster and saw the odds on favourite Quel Destin rally well in the final half furlong to win by just a neck. Both these horses were missed by our players, and so again no points were scored. 

The final point scoring race was the Unibet International Hurdle at Cheltenham which was won by the Nicky Henderson trained Brain Power. This was the most popular horse for the Ten To Follow crowd as he was entered in 9 teams. 

All in all it was a great week of racing, but a low scoring one in terms of the Ten To Follow. As a result the leader board hasn't changed too much, with Matthew Taylor still on top with 210 points. The latest scores can be found here.

This is the final update before the New Year, look out for the next instalment on the 10th January.