Star On Sandown Standby

Paul Nicholls revealed Kauto Star could be 'an option' for the paddypower.com Tingle Creek Chase if the ground is testing at Sandown on Saturday.

The champion trainer also has Twist Magic and Hoo La Baloo among a total of 14 entries for the Grade One event as he bids to land this prize for a fifth time.

Kauto Star landed the prize 12 months ago following victory in the three-mile Betfair Chase at Haydock ? which he won again last month.

'We want to run Twist Magic, but we have left Kauto Star in as an option if the ground were to come up very testing,' said Nicholls.

'I would be very nervous about running Twist Magic on very soft ground.

'Kauto Star is, and I stress, an option if we want.

'Clive (Smith, Kauto Star's owner) knows that the race has been Twist Magic's intended target for some time, but we know that Kauto is fine to run if we want to.

'If Twist Magic doesn't run, we will have a talk and Kauto has been given the option if we wanted it.

'Hoo La Baloo will definitely run and we'll hope that the ground is okay for Twist Magic.

'It might be a Friday decision if the ground were testing, but I would definitely not run both Twist Magic and Kauto Star.'

The going at the Esher track at the close of play on Monday was soft on the hurdle course and good to soft, soft in places on the chase course.

Voy Por Ustedes, runner-up to Kauto Star last year, is 6-4 favourite with the sponsors.

Last season's Queen Mother Champion Chase winner lost nothing in defeat when failing by only a neck to give Kalca Mome 26lb on his seasonal debut at Cheltenham recently.

'Voy Por Ustedes is still very much on target for the Tingle Creek Chase,' said King.

'He has come out of the Cheltenham race absolutely smashing.

'He did his first bit of work on Saturday and I couldn't be more pleased with him.

'I think that it was a fine run at Cheltenham considering his weight and the conditions of the race.

'It was just what we needed to get the fizz out of him.

'You've got Monet's Garden and Twist Magic as well, but there are no easy races at this level.

'This race and the Queen Mother Champion Chase are his big targets this year and I was desperate to get a run into him before the Tingle Creek and I have just managed it.

'All things being equal, he will then go to Kempton over Christmas, the Game Spirit at Newbury and then Cheltenham again ? very similar to last year.'

(C) PA Sport