Horseracing betting: weekend outlook

Newbury is the place to be this Saturday, as the Berkshire track hosts a competitive card including the Totesport Trophy (3.20pm), the Grade 2 Aon Chase (2.45pm) and the totepool Game Spirit Chase (2.10pm), which has always offered up clues to the Champion Chase at Cheltenham. Click here for a free $600 welcome bonus when you join Paddy Power Poker Reigning Queen Mother champion Voy Por Ustedes will be a warm order for the 2m 1f Game Spirit Chase, having bounced back to form in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton in December. Alan King's charge is a best-priced 11/4 with Betfred and Boylesports to defend his Cheltenham crown, and it will take a massive performance at Newbury if he is to threaten Twist Magic's hold on the Champion Chase market. Paul Nicholls's Champion Chase favourite is a best-priced 5-2 with Coral for Cheltenham's two-mile feature. Nicholls lines up Master Minded for this race though. Master Minded is a five-year-old gelding with just two races in Britain to his name but he is sure to test out Voy Por Ustedes. Master Minded easily accounted for Hasty Prince, All Star and the useful Howle Hill at Sandown last month. As an indication of how good the horse is, Cashmans went 8-1 about him winning the Ryanair Chase, but his owner, Clive Smith, went on the record that he wanted his French import to contest the Champion Chase in March, for which he is 16/1 with Paddy Power. Jewson Novices Chase winner L'Antartique drops back in trip, having flopped behind Denman in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown during the Christmas period and will be ridden by Graham Lee. Nigel Twiston Davies has entered two, leaving in Mahogany Blaze and Patman du Charmil, while the field is completed by Haldon Gold Cup winner Pablo Du Charmil, Cossack Dancer, Monzon and Karl Burke's Gardsee. Both Denman and Kauto Star have been left in the Aon Chase, but the former is the one most likely to represent the dominant trainer. Nicholls has taken this race four times in the last ten years with See More Business (2000), Shotgun Willy (2001), Valley Henry (2003) and Kauto Star last year and Denman is as short as 1.31 on Betfair to make it five from 11. Old timers Ollie Magern, Celestial Gold, El Vaquero and Bewleys Berry all contest this race more in hope than in expectation, while dour stayer Turpin Green has been entered to take advantage perhaps of the soft going. No fewer than 33 horses stood their ground for the Totesport Trophy yesterday. The betting market for this race has been open for weeks but VCbet still saw fit to cut big-race favourite Five Dream yesterday going 7/2 from 4/1. Ruby Walsh's expected mount has either won or been placed five times in his eight-race career so far, and it is no surprise to see the bookies running scared of him in what is usually a fiercely competitive event. Only two favourites have won this in the last ten years, and Heathcote's 50/1 success last year shows that if you look hard enough, this race can throw up a juicy-priced winner. For those who want to get in early, Andrew Turnell's Blue Bajan has been heavily punted in recent days and although the double-figure prices have all gone, the 8/1 still looks fair. Verdict: 1pt each-way Blue Bajan @ 8/1 (Paddy Power) Click here for a free $600 welcome bonus when you join Paddy Power Poker