Guineas double gives top teams a flying start to Flat competition

The Tote Ten To Follow for the 2021 Flat season is up and running with more than 12,000 stables in pursuit of a first prize in excess of £21,000.

After a weekend that included the first two bonus races, the leaderboard is taking shape and, unsurprisingly, is headed by a team that managed to find both Classic winners. That is LookedAtThat V, whose 173.65 points shades the 170.60 of Arcadians 24, one of five Arcadians teams in hot pursuit of the leader.

Finding one of the two Classic heroes was hard enough, with only 3.2 per cent of stables bagging 72 points by picking 2,000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare – runner-up Master Of The Seas was chosen by nearly three times as many players who will have to make do with 14.75 consolation points.

Mother Earth (nearside) leads the field home in the 1,000 GuineasCredit: Mark Cranham

Mother Earth, the 1,000 Guineas winner, collected 60.40 points for 4.1 per cent of stables, but spare a thought for the 63.1 per cent that opted for her Ballydoyle stablemate, the highly touted Santa Barbara, who finished only fourth.

Santa Barbara and High Definition, Classic prospects who had raced just three times between them before the competition, are the third and fourth most-selected horses behind the proven pair Palace Pier and Love. In fact, of the ten most selected horses, four are trained by Aidan O'Brien and four by John Gosden, while last season's top scorer Addeybb was picked by just 6.5 per cent of stables this time round.

Equally popular, and now in the top ten points scorers after victory in the Jockey Club Stakes, is stayer Sir Ron Priestley, who landed 23.45 points, while sprinter Lazuli picked up 20.35 points in the Palace House Stakes for 1.1 per cent of teams.

LEADING HORSES
1 Poetic Flare 72.00 points
2 Mother Earth 60.40
3 Sir Ron Priestley 23.45
4 No Speak Alexander 22.80
5 Broome 22.40
6 Lazuli 20.35
7 Lexington Dash 15.80
8 Opera Gift 15.20
9 Saffron Beach14.90
10 Master Of The Seas14.75

MOST POPULAR PICKS
Palace Pier 79.8%
Love 74.3%
Santa Barbara 63.1%
High Definition 53.5%
Stradivarius 45.4%
Mishriff 36.9%
Wembley 32.0%
Thunder Moon 30.3%
Lord North 27.8%
Battaash 27.6%

LEADERBOARD
1 LookedAtThat V 173.65 points
2 Arcadians 24 170.60
3 Arcadians 02 157.55
3 Arcadians 03 157.55
3 Arcadians 04 157.55
6 Arcadians 21 155.85
7 Running Hard Running Free 3 149.15
7 Running Hard Running Free 11 149.15
8 MK's 3 147.30
8 MK's 14 147.30
8 MK's 16 147.30

LEADING STABLE
Poetic Flare 72.00 points
Mother Earth 60.40
Sir Ron Priestley 23.45
Master Of The Seas 14.75
Emaraaty Ana 1.60
Pyledriver 1.45
Palace Pier 0
A’Shaari 0
Santa Barbara 0
Wembley 0

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