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The 2020 Flat Ten to Follow competition is almost here and it won’t be long until Day 1 at Royal Ascot. With more bonus races to play for this season, targeting those extra points will be a major part of the picking process for stables.

However, valuable handicap races can throw up quality winners at big prices which can add lots of points to your tally. Below we highlight five horses well worth bearing in mind for many of the heritage contests throughout the season.

Desert Icon

Trainer: William Haggas

A couple of horses on this short list potentially serve two purposes. The first to pick up a handicap or two (or three!), the second to perhaps graduate into Group class in the process. Desert Icon is a strong and handsome son of Sea The Stars who has shown lots of ability to date. His frame suggests he’ll be better as a four-year-old and an official rating of 96 is readily exploitable if the horse has trained on as hoped. Trips of 1m4f+ are likely to be where he excels, but he’s not devoid of pace so ten furlongs wouldn’t be an inconvenience either. Horses of this mould have loads of options and Desert Icon fits the bill of just the type to progress really well from three to four.

Desert Icon

Tis Marvellous

Trainer: Clive Cox

Tis Marvellous is banging on the door of Listed/Group 3 class form in handicaps and may well make a successful dip into open company in 2020, perhaps even when punters will least expect it. That aside, Clive Cox’s six-year-old can definitely make his presence felt in big six furlongs sprints, particularly at places like Ascot. He finished a fine second in the Wokingham last season and if he did come up short in some better races, a falling handicap mark would make him very dangerous at a big price somewhere toward the latter end of the flat season. AyrGold Cup maybe?

Arecibo

Trainer: David O’Meara

This horse looks a good thing to pick up a big pot this season, provided he maintains his form of last season and learns from his first season running in the UK. From April to October last year, Arecibo ran 13 times and he should’ve won at least five of them. As it transpired, he managed a single win and a clutch of excellent placed efforts in defeat in some of the best races around. Officially rated 102, this five-year-old is most certainly a horse to keep an eye on and indeed consider for your handicappers squad in the Ten to Follow.

Eightsome Reel

Trainer: Michael Bell

This Michael Bell trained four-year-old finished 4th in the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot when last seen in June of 2019. It was a good race, won by Sangarius with Fox Chairman in second, both of whom will have Group race aspirations going forward. Eightsome Reel was gelded in August and you’d imagine he will be in a good position to contest some of the better handicaps over 1m2f to 1m4f. Owned by the Queen, it would be good to see this handsome son of Iffraaj back racing at the big tracks this summer. He progressed with every start last year and there’s no reason he can’t find more.

Copper Knight

Trainer: Tim Easterby

Copper Knight is a really likeable performer and is taken to really give his connections another wonderfully exciting campaign. Not only is he an excellent handicapper, he can also mix it with the best in Group company and there could be more to come. He loves it at York, but is versatile and brings experience from a variety of tracks to the table. The official rating has dipped from a high of 106 to start the season from 102 and there’s every chance he will be kept busy and pick up plenty of points through the season. The minimum trip of 5f is his specialty and it’s always nice to have a hardy five furlong speedster to keep on side!

Copper Knight

How can I play Ten to Follow?

Play the Tote Ten to Follow by entering your first stable today. Own a stable of horses for the season for as little as £5! Enjoy the free to enter stable if you wish and be sure to keep those Bonus races in mind too!


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