Aon Chase and Game Spirit entries reopened

THE Aon Chase and Totepool Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on Saturday, which are set to feature Denman and Master Minded, have been reopened after bothraces attracted small fields.

Denman, the 2008 Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, was one of nine horses engaged in the Aon Chasewhile the Game Spirit, in which Master Minded is set to run, drew only four, one of which was former Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Voy Por Ustedes.

Expecting the races to produce small fields, Paul Nicholls also included his John Smith's GrandNational hope Tricky Trickster in the Aon Chase while putting novice Take The Breeze in the Game Spirit.

Both races will now be reopened until 11amon Tuesday.

Tricky Trickster has an alternative engagement at Exeter on Sunday, while Take The Breeze is also entered in the Totesport.com Kingmaker Novices' Chase at Warwick.

The Aon Chase will be Denman's first appearance since his victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. Tony McCoy will partner the horse for the first time, and Nicholls said on Monday: "The idea is he would have a nice run round there and it would bring him on.

"He is dead easy to ride. If you were owning him and wanting him to go to the Gold Cup with the best chance of winning, you would like the jockey to have one ride on him.

"No matter how much you know about a horse at home you know nothing until you have ridden him a race. I think it will be invaluable for Tony to have a ride on him."

Master Minded has not run since sufferinghis first defeat over 2m in the Connaught Chase at Cheltenham in November, after which he was found to have a fractured rib.

Nicholls said: "Whatever he does, the run will bring him on enormously. He had that time off from the rib fracture.

"We haven't been riding him all that long, a matter of weeks, and a race will do him the world of good."