Cathys Clowns looking clever at top of Tote Ten to Follow leaderboard with Brighterdaysahead

The most spectacular winner of the festive period also had the most dramatic effect on the Tote Ten to Follow leaderboard as Brighterdaysahead helped Cathys Clowns soar to the top of the table with her runaway success in the Neville Hotels Hurdle.

The 30.10 points collected by the Gigginstown mare, added to 29.35 points from the Morgiana Hurdle, takes her to seventh place among the season’s points scorers. 

She is just one of three horses in the top ten – along with Jonbon and Galopin Des Champs – to command a significant following. In her case that amounts to 16.3% of teams in the competition, which pales in comparison with the 73.2% which include Jonbon, or the 61.3% with Savills Chase winner Galopin Des Champs on board.

That could prove vital to the Cathys Clowns team as Brighterdaysahead looks likely to pick up more points, particularly if she takes the option of the Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Cathys Clowns squad includes another who could decide the destination of the competition’s first prize. Banbridge picked up 60.50 points with victory in the King George VI Chase and is sixth on the list of points scorers but was selected by only 6.3% of teams at the competition’s outset and has plenty of options ahead over a range of distances.

The period’s other big winners registered little Ten to Follow support. Croke Park, the competition’s top scorer after collecting 29.50 points in the Racing Post Long Distance Novice Chase to add to 50.50 points from the Drinmore, was selected by 0.1% of stables. 

Home By The Lee, who picked up 29.08 points in the Savills Hurdle, was barely more popular, featuring in 0.2% of teams, while Solness, who sprang a surprise in the Grade 1 Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase, rewarded precisely zero teams with the 57.60 points gained there.

Also overlooked was The Yellow Clay, who registered his third competition success in Sunday’s Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle. The 29.85 points took him into third on the list of top scorers on 70.15, but with only 0.5% of teams cheering him home.

LATEST STANDINGS

LEADING HORSES
1 Croke Park 0.1% of teams 80.00 points
2 Jonbon 73.2% 74.16
3 The Yellow Clay 0.5% 70.15
4 Solness 0% 61.80
5 Home By The Lee 0.2% 61.78
6 Banbridge 6.3% 60.50
7 Brighterdaysahead 16.8% 59.45
8 Royale Pagaille 2.2% 55.95
9 Galopin Des Champs 61.3% 54.06
10 Lucky Place 0.1% 53.00

LEADING TEAMS
1 Cathys Clowns 6 388.29 points
2 Ashley Banks 21 380.34
3 Philip McCready 379.66
4 Famous Five 5 379.29
5 Chloe 2 379.02
6 Justify 6 376.78
7 Remember 376.25
8 MyCatChip 20 374.31
9 Reiders2510 373.91
10 Seathestars 101 8 373.00

LEADER'S STABLE – Cathys Clown 388.29 points
Jonbon 74.16 points
Banbridge 60.50
Brighterdaysahead 59.45
Galopin Des Champs 54.06
Fact To File 44.20
Impaire Et Passe 40.00
Constitution Hill 26.84
Lossiemouth 26.58
Gaelic Warrior 1.40
State Man 1.10

Read more:

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JP McManus snaps up Cheltenham Festival favourite The New Lion - with former owner Darren Yates set to leave the sport 

The Yellow Clay extends unbeaten record over hurdles as Gordon Elliott reveals likeliest Cheltenham Festival option