I think in general the top currencies will be increasing in relative proportion to the size of the overall market cap. As more money comes into the crypto space, a big proportion will go to the top currencies. Particularly if and when investment funds come into play, the major crypto-currencies will be seen as the safest and the money will go there first.
Ripple has a strong use case to simplify, speed, and reduce the cost of payments between banks and it already has strong corporate adoption so it's here to stay. I can't say one way or the other if it passes Ether or Bitcoin in marketcap.
Picking individual winners and losers is still difficult and, as somebody new to the space, the reasons behind some of the large moves in individual currencies are not always clear.
Overall, in my opinion, this is a rising tides lifts all boats markets. Money in Crypto should grow as the overall market size grows.