Six horses will line up for the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on Saturday afternoon, but all eyes will be on the hugely exciting novice Sir Gino, who will be sent off a red-hot favourite for the Grade 2 event, and is looking to cement his place as the 2025 Arkle market leader. Our in-house tipster Steve Chambers previews the contest and picks out his 1-2-3 for the race.
SIR GINO
(Nico De Boinville/Nicky Henderson)
A top-class Grade 1-winning juvenile hurdler, Sir Gino made his comeback to the track this year in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, where he was an able replacement for Constitution Hill. Nicky Henderson’s star cruised to victory that day, but he was always destined for a campaign novice chasing this season and he showed his brilliance when downing the Cheltenham Festival winner Ballyburn in the Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase at Kempton over Christmas. A sensational round of jumping in that event saw him down the Willie Mullins-trained star by seven-and-a-half lengths and he was immediately slashed to odds-on favourite for the Arkle.
Now set for his second run over fences, the unbeaten five-year-old will undoubtedly prove popular with punters, as he looks to enhance his already lofty reputation and if he can repeat that Kempton run then he should be very tough to beat in what is an intriguing renewal.
MATATA
(Sam Twiston-Davies/Nigel Twiston-Davies)
Matata has been in the form of his life this season and has notched up two wins and two seconds from his four starts this campaign. Last seen cruising to an emphatic 10-length victory over Unexpected Party at Windsor, the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained raider will now look to put it up to the classy Sir Gino here and he could prove to be the biggest danger. The front-running gelding will look to get the inexperienced Seven Barrows runner out of his comfort zone in the early stages, but he will need to improve significantly now stepping out of the handicap sphere and into graded company.
EDWARDSTONE
(Tom Cannon/Alan King)
A winner of this race 12 months ago, Edwardstone will be looking to emulate the likes of Altior, Master Minded and Azertyuiop, who all won this race more than once, but while his 40-length victory looks good on paper it was a pretty poor renewal last season with only two finishing. Alan King’s veteran has struggled since in 2m Graded chases this season and was last seen finishing third in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot. Decent in his day, the Barbury Castle inmate is certainly coming to the end of his career at the highest level and he will need his younger rivals to underperform to stand any chance here.
REST OF THE FIELD
Libberty Hunter will be stepping into choppier waters on Saturday for this event, but Evan Williams’s nine-year-old impressed when winning a Cheltenham handicap chase off a mark of 144 last time out and he’s entitled to have a crack at Graded company, so could be an each-way play. JPR One won the Haldon Gold Cup at the start of the season, but was outclassed when third in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown Park last time out, while Master Chewy completes the line-up and will be the second shot fired by the Twiston-Davies, but he was over eight lengths behind Libberty Hunter at Cheltenham, so has form to reverse there.
VERDICT
If SIR GINO can emulate his mind-blowing chasing debut performance here then he can duly cement his place as the premier 2m novice chaser. A real class act throughout his career to date, Nicky Henderson’s star could be the next star chaser for the team and he can get the better of the improving Matata here, with Libberty Hunter claiming third place.
2025 Game Spirit Chase Predicted 1-2-3
- Sir Gino
- Matata
- Libberty Hunter
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