There are just two days left to enter Ten To Follow 2009/10 ahead of the new jumps season and with the chance of winning a massive overall prize, as well as one of the monthly £10,000 prizes on offer it is a hugely popular game.

Nick Wilby has selected his stable for the new campaign:

Kauto Star

Paul Nicholls
2008/2009 TTF points – 100
Cheltenham Gold Cup odds: 7/4 (Paddy Power)

Kauto Star will surely be the most popular Ten To Follow horse for years and it is near impossible to leave this National Hunt great out of the team.  After winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2007, he regained his crown in the race last year when thumping a below-par champion, Denman, by 14 lengths in one of the most impressive Gold Cup performances for years.  He will go in search of a remarkable fourth King George Boxing Day victory in as many years and it is probable that he will then be kept fresh and ready to retain his Gold Cup crown.  A must-have in this year’s Tote Ten To Follow!

Master Minded

Paul Nicholls
2008/2009 TTF points – 100
Queen Mother Champion Chase Odds: 11/10 (Paddy Power)

Another Paul Nicholls chaser that will be unbelievably popular this year, Master Minded is the Dual Champion Chaser for a reason and has never been beaten over the minimum distance.  Back-to-back victories in the Queen Mother Champion Chase (the first of which was one of the best Cheltenham performance of all time) has frightened away a lot of competition and is it difficult to imagine there will be anything ready to tackle one of his speed in this year’s division.  That being said, he did have an air of vulnerability about him when scrambling home at Punchestown last time out and some pundits fear that he may have already peaked.  Not for me, he is a bit of a no brainer.

Big Buck’s

Paul Nicholls
2008/2009 TTF points – 127
Ladbrokes World Hurdle Odds: 2/1 (Paddy Power)

Big Buck’s is another one of Paul Nicholls’ gems and he progressed into the champion staying hurdler of last year - winning the World Hurdle at Cheltenham, which is all the more surprising bearing in mind he started over hurdles.  An absolute machine in all of his races, it seemed like he never had to quite reach maximum effort and it would be no surprise to see him improve even more this season.  With his principal rival Punchestowns gone chasing, he is impossible to oppose in this division and is another selection that can’t really be avoided.

Dunguib

Philip Fenton
2008/2009 TTF points – 0
Supreme Novices' Hurdle Odds: 5/2 (Paddy Power)

Last season's champion Bumper horse, Dunguib was responsible for some pretty unbelievable performances this year and you could not fail to be impressed by his outstanding victory at Cheltenham.  He followed up at Punchestown and his disqualification after testing positive for a banned substance was blurred by the show he put on.  A very easy (and impressive) victory on his hurdling debut suggested he was ready to tackle a new division and if he transfers his ability successfully, then we should prepare for one of the most exciting novice hurdlers for years.

Hurricane Fly

W P Mullins
2008/2009 TTF points – 50
Champion Hurdle Odds: 3/1 (Paddy Power)

Like Dunguib, Hurricane Fly enters this season as one of the biggest hype horses around and it is interesting to see he is already a short price for next season’s Champion Hurdle.  Punjabi, Celestial Halo and Binocular may not have fought out the finish to this March’s renewal if Hurricane Fly had not had his place in the field robbed by injury.  The manner of his victories over Supreme Novices' winner Go Native on a couple of occasions last season was every bit as brutal as one would expect from a serious Champion Hurdle contender and I think he could be a bit special.

Punchestowns

N J Henderson
2008/2009 TTF points – 59
RSA Chase Odds: 7/1 (Paddy Power)

After finishing second behind hurdle superstar Big Buck’s in last season’s World Hurdle, chasing was the new target for this impressive looking seven-year-old and he is an exciting addition to the division.   There can be no doubting his ability to go all the way to the top and he is already a relatively short price for the RSA Chase at Cheltenham.  Long distance novice events will be the name of his game and he was one of the first names on my Tote Ten To Follow list.

Crack Away Jack

Emma Lavelle
2008/2009 TTF points – 0
Arkle Trophy Odds: 8/1 (Paddy Power)

Another one of the horses who has been on my mind for some time ahead of the new season.  Crack Away Jack has a lofty reputation and ended up having a bit of a difficult time living up to his hype last season.  Still, he had a decent campaign and he always looked a chaser to me.  His recent victory at Sandown was a procession but he jumped really well and we all know that Emma Lavelle’s gelding travels like a train in his races.  I like his chances for the Arkle and he could be difficult to beat if he takes to the division as well as we know he could.

Binocular

N J Henderson
2008/2009 TTF points – 50
Champion Hurdle Odds: 4/1 (Paddy Power)

Binocular was all the talk in the build up to last year’s Cheltenham Festival and was many people’s idea of a Festival banker.  He could only finish third behind Punjabi and Celestial Halo but it was still a magnificent run for a young horse.  He will be lightly raced but it’s easy to see him dominating the top hurdle races in the UK and I would be confident that he would reverse places with those ahead of him in the Champion Hurdle.  Hurricane Fly looks a top prospect but hopefully he will dominate in Ireland while Bincoular mops up in the UK and then, if all goes to plan, I will have the Champion Hurdle covered.  It sounds so easy.

Tatenen

Paul Nicholls
2008/2009 TTF points – 15
Paddy Power Gold Cup Odds: 8/1 (Paddy Power)

I am trying to get points on the board early with Tatenen and it is interesting that Paul Nichollas has been speaking highly of him ahead of the first bonus race of the year, the Paddy Power Gold Cup.  He had an indifferent season last year and he never quite hit the heights that connections may have expected but he was sent off favourite for the Arkle for a reason and it was only Kalahari King that he found too good at Aintree.  His trainer is adamant he will relish a step up in trip and he will be popular.  He needs his ground soft, which shouldn’t be a problem given the weather over here…

Tricky Trickster

Paul Nicholls
2008/2009 TTF points – 0
Aintree Grand National Odds: 20/1 (Paddy Power)

Paul Nicholls has identified Tricky Trickster as his great hope to end his John Smith’s Grand National hoodoo and he is easily the most exciting close-season signing at Manor Farm Stables. Bought for £320,000, the lightly raced six-year-old showed he possesses plenty of stamina when he was an impressive winner of Cheltenham’s National Hunt Chase.  To show how highly rated he is, Tricky Trickster was on show in box No 5 at Manor Farm, putting him in illustrious company next to Big Buck’s and Master Minded when the stable opened this year and there has even been talk of an entry in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the horse.  Could be a superstar and could bag some valuable points in Tote Ten To Follow.