Paul Nicholls believes the totepool Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on Saturday will do Master Minded "the world of good" after his break.

Clive Smith's seven-year-old suffered his first defeat since April 2008 in the Connaught Chase at Cheltenham in November, after which it was discovered he had been running with a fractured rib. He has been back in work since early January but Nicholls admitted he will improve for the run.

"He hasn't been back in work all that long from his fractured rib but I'm happy with him. Whatever he does, the run will bring him on enormously," said Nicholls.

The race has been reopened after only four entries were received, with stablemate Take The Breeze and Voy Por Ustedes confirmed as two of the others.

Nicholls added: "I put Take The Breeze in because he has won at Newbury, but he is also in the Kingmaker at Warwick against Long Run so it is an option for him. Master Minded will definitely benefit from a run because he's had plenty of time off and we haven't been riding him back all that long.

"It will do him good to go out and the race will do him the world of good. He needs to run a lot better than he did at Cheltenham because that form hasn't worked out at all, he was a long way below his best so it would be good to see him run well and be in good form again.

"Master Minded needs the run more than Denman (Aon Chase) but it's not critical, we can get them ready at home if the meeting is lost."

In his absence another Ditcheat inmate has won the Tingle Creek and the Victor Chandler.

"Twist Magic is obviously in good form, he needed to win at Ascot to show he could win away from Sandown and obviously he was very good that day and is in good order," Nicholls went on.

"He's not had the best of luck at Cheltenham but that always changes, he might have won the Arkle a few years ago if he hadn't fallen. Twist Magic has beaten Kalahari King and Big Zeb but Master Minded has beaten him every time they've met so the form is in the book."

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