Voy Por takes on seven

Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Voy Por Ustedes heads a high-class field of eight for the paddypower.com Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on Saturday.

Alan King’s six-year-old, who was second to Kauto Star 12 months ago on his seasonal reappearance, will be hoping to go one better this year in the absence of the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner.

Instead, champion trainer Paul Nicholls will rely on the promising Twist Magic and Sandown specialist Hoo La Baloo.

Monet’s Garden, the first horse to beat Kauto Star in over 18 months in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree, will travel down from Nicky Richards’ base in Greystoke, Cumbria.

Ashley Brook, a last-fence faller in the Queen Mother and a casualty at Aintree when in the process of running a big race on both occasions, will be hoping for more luck.

Mark Rimell’s Oneway, third in the race for the last two seasons, will once again turn up along with Noel Chance’s River City, third in the Queen Mother last March.

Evan Williams’ Demi Beau completes the line-up.

Champion chase hero Voy Por Ustedes, who also won the Arkle at Cheltenham 12 months earlier, delighted connections in a schooling session this morning.

The Sir Robert Ogden-owned gelding has had the benefit of a previous run at Prestbury Park this season, having gone down narrowly to Kalca Mome when conceding lumps of weight.

He has yet to finish outside the first two in 11 completed starts over fences.

“He is absolutely fine and Alan is delighted with him. He feels that he has progressed since Cheltenham and we could not be happier with him,” said Barry Simpson, Ogden’s racing manager.

“He might prefer, like one or two others, slightly better ground as it looks like being pretty soft but he has acted on it before.

“We don’t have any real concerns and on the day, if he performs as well as he can, it looks like being a great race with a strong field and a great opportunity for us.”