Totepool Game Spirit Chase Betting Tips

Voy Por Ustedes bids to consolidate his position at the head of the market for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at next month's Cheltenham Festival by landing the totepool Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on Saturday, for which Blue Square make Alan King's charge the 13/8 favourite. With Kauto Star's focus shifted to the staying division, Voy Por Ustedes, who landed the Arkle Trophy at last year's Festival, would appear to set the standard in the two-mile chasing ranks, along with last season's Champion Chase hero Newmill. However, there are two names to factor into the exciting equation that many seem to have forgotten - Ashley Brook and Well Chief - and the duo in question return to the fray in this Grade 2 contest, both of whom will be receiving 10lb from Voy Por Ustedes. Well Chief, winner of the 2004 Arkle and runner-up in the following year's Champion Chase, has been absent since producing what was arguably his best performance over fences to date when beating Azertyuiop by four lengths in the Celebration Chase at Sandown in April 2005. The eight-year-old is a class act and it is heartening that he does run well fresh. But, following an absence of 658 days, it would be a momentous training performance from David Pipe's Nicolashayne team if the gelding were to return from such a lengthy layoff to win a race of this magnitude. Ashley Brook has not run over fences since chasing home Kauto Star at Sandown in the Tingle Creek Chase in December 2005. But he has proven his current wellbeing with a facile victory over hurdles at Cheltenham. Admittedly, he was racing off a mark far lower than that off which he would be competing in handicaps in this sphere, but that was nevertheless a mightily impressive performance. That performance was all the more impressive when you consider that it was Kevin Bishop's stable star's first outing for 420 days and that the heavy going was more testing than he would have liked. It's likely that he'll improve for that outing and, at 3/1 with Blue Square, the nine-year-old is well worth backing to upset the jolly. Don't forget, Ashley Brook was a top-class novice - he was second in the Arkle in 2005 before slamming War Of Attrition at the Aintree Grand National meeting. And his two efforts over the larger obstacles the following season were both highly promising. There is still every chance that this gelding will go right to the very top of tree. Voy Por Ustedes felt the wrath of Kauto in the Tingle Creek on his reappearance, but was a convincing winner of the inaugural Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton subsequently. At the age of just six, there is every reason to believe that Voy Por Ustedes is still open to a good deal of improvement and his elan for jumping fences will make him a formidable opponent. However, what he has actually achieved over fences is arguably below the level of both Ashley Brook and Well Chief so far - he still has something to prove in my opinion. As such, at the prices he is well worth taking on this event, especially given that he has to concede weight all round. Paul Nicholls has sent out the winner in the last three renewals of this, but it would be surprising if he were to repeat the dose with either Armaturk or Sporazene. They are both very smart chasers, but neither possess that touch of class that the market leaders boast. French raider Foreman was behind Voy Por Ustedes in the Arkle last season but reversed the placings at Aintree a month later. However, connections of the latter felt that their charge had had enough by that point, and Voy Por Ustedes had Thierry Doumen's over six lengths adrift in third at Kempton during the Christmas period. A 4lb pull shouldn't be enough to see Foreman exact revenge. Verdict - 1pt Ashley Brook @ 3/1 (Blue Square)