Paul Nicholls admits Master Minded will be only 80% fit for Saturday

Master Minded will be "80% fit" when he returns to the track on Saturday, ­according to his trainer, Paul Nicholls. That may be good enough to win a weak renewal of Newbury's Game Spirit Chase but the result is of secondary importance to Nicholls, whose first wish is that the horse show some sign of the ability that made him such a breathtaking winner at the 2008 Festival. Last season, Master Minded was unbeaten in four starts, all at Grade One level, even though the champion trainer felt he "never really had him at his best". This time, things were supposed to run even more smoothly but the seven-year-old's season went awry as soon as it got under way, when he hung badly ­throughout his first race at Cheltenham and faded to be third, his worst placing in nine completed races in Britain. A fractured rib on his right side, ­discovered two weeks later, seemed to provide a complete explanation. But the form looks even worse than it did at the time, thanks to five subsequent defeats for Well Chief and Mahogany Blaze, who beat Master Minded that day, and Nicholls makes no bones about his desire for something much better this weekend. "He's done all we've asked," the trainer said . "He schooled last week, he was fine and he's where I want him to be. But I'm not under any illusions – he has to go and do it on the track now because if he runs again like he did at Cheltenham last time, we're in trouble." The question of when Master Minded broke his rib remains a complete mystery. Nicholls has speculated that he may have been kicked by another horse at some point last summer, which means the culprit is also a champion – either Kauto Star, Denman or Big Buck's, who shared a field with him outside the trainer's home. But his owner, Clive Smith, feels the injury may have occurred as long ago as April, when Master Minded lacked his usual authority and was almost beaten at the Punchestown Festival. "I can't imagine he did it too long before [the November race] because we'd have seen something and picked it up," Nicholls said. "We weren't really aware of anything – he was hanging a bit on the gallops but that's something he's always done." Five weeks without being ridden are reckoned to have done the trick. Master Minded's rib is believed to be thoroughly healed and his exercise regime has become gradually more testing since the ­beginning of last month. Happily, he has not been held up by any recurrence of his old "tying-up" problem, which amounted to occasional, severe bouts of cramping. In his absence, his stablemate Twist Magic has stolen the glory with two wide-margin successes in races that Master Minded won last season. But Smith has no doubt that Ruby Walsh will choose to ride his horse when the Champion Chase comes round. "Ruby has always told me if he's ­thinking about riding anything else and he hasn't said anything. I saw him at ­Doncaster on Saturday but I didn't ask because I didn't think it was a question," Smith said. "I can't see any reason why Ruby wouldn't ride him. I think he may beat Voy Por Ustedes [on Saturday] ­anyway but if he's beaten a length or so, I don't think anyone will be very worried. "I just want him to run well enough for him to be competing properly at ­Cheltenham. If he was fourth and he looked a bit tired and not up to it, then I suppose Ruby might have a think."