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As British racing pulls up stumps until May, the opportunity for Ten to Follow players to seek out some late points is wearing thin.

Current leader ‘Ping Ponger 61’ is currently 14.3 points clear of the nearest challenger after a stupendous Cheltenham Festival that saw them add four Bonus Race successes, two Bonus Race seconds, and a pair of further wins to their record.

The chasing pack are relying on the Irish action, which will continue behind closed doors for the foreseeable future, to pick up points.

So, where could the top Ten to Follow prize of £177,961 be won and lost in the next six weeks?

Graded races are key

While a win will still pick players up 10 points, plus their Tote returns, it could be the Graded contests that hold all the aces for players in with a shot.

Between now and the competition’s closing date on April 26th, there are 10 Graded contests scheduled in Ireland, including two Grade 1s.

If one of the chasing pack were to pick up one or both these 25+ points races, they could yet bounce ‘Ping Ponger’ back down the table.

A Ryanair Chase challenge for De Bromhead?

One of the two remaining Grade 1s in the competition is the 2m4f Ryanair Gold Cup at Fairyhouse during their Irish Grand National meeting.

The race has been dominated by Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott in the last two years, with just one runner coming from outside of their yards.

Mullins looks to have a ready-made contender for the race in Min, who could follow up his Cheltenham win in the race of the same name. The nine-year-old has travelled to Aintree for the last two years, but with the Merseyside meeting off, could be re-routed here.

He may well lock-horns with Festival third A Plus Tard. Henry De Bromhead is another Aintree regular who will be looking for alternatives to his string next month, so this race could be just the ticket for the 2019 Festival winner. A win for the Cheveley Park-owned chaser could be all the difference as he features in 2nd-placed stable ‘Malcolm F Stable9’ but not that of our current leader.

Watch out for the novices

While the well-known horses might be the ones to focus on for many, an eye on the many Irish novices is also advised.

Of the seven Grade 1 or Grade 2 races left in the competition, four are open only to novice hurdlers or novice chasers.

The Grade 1 Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final has gone to none other than Honeysuckle and Laurina in the last two renewals, so it’s usually contested by the best mares around.

Possibly the easiest Festival winner of them all, Concertista, could be an obvious shout for the race and pick up at least 25 points for the stables that she represents.

Over the larger obstacles, the Hugh McMahon Memorial Novice Chase over 3m has gone to Willie Mullins in six of the last seven years (he didn’t have a runner in 2017). He could unleash RSA candidates Allaho, Castlebawn West or Easy Game and pick up some hefty Ten To Follow points in the process.

With no Bonus Races left in the competition, these Graded contests in Ireland could be the only thing that stops our post-Cheltenham leader, ‘Ping Ponger 61’.


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