Mick Fitzgerald set himself up for tomorrow's William Hill Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown when partnering hot favourite Kauto Star at Paul Nicholls' yard yesterday morning.

After Rathgar Beau was forced out of the race by a dirty scope, a field of just seven runners will go to post with Nicholls' one-time Arkle hope the 11 to 8 market leader with the sponsors.

Fitzgerald, who is replacing the injured Ruby Walsh, schooled the five-year-old ahead of the gelding's biggest test to date, and was immediately taken with his plum spare ride.

He said: "Paul wanted me to go down and have a sit on him and have a little feel as he said last year he was quite a nervy horse but he showed absolutely no signs of that this morning.

"I followed Christian Williams who was riding one in front of me. I had a full circuit in front of me in the school and by the time we had jumped three I was up his tail.

"He is a very quick jumper, is very light on his feet and has bags of scope. I loved him."

Kauto Star was last seen chasing home Monkerhostin - who reopposes this weekend - in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter last month, with another Tingle Creek runner, Ashley Brook, back in third.

Fitzgerald added: "He was getting a lot of weight from Ashley Brook last time but beat him by nine lengths. Paul is hoping there is a fair bit of improvement in his lad from Exeter. What he lacks in experience he makes up for in talent."

Nicholls, who also watched Williams school Sporazene, acknowledges Kauto Star has to step up on his previous efforts to win the Tingle Creek.

"This is his fourth run over fences. He has lots of potential but has got to do it now. He has got to get the form in the book - he has got to go and prove it," he said.

"We thought he would win first time at Newbury last year and he was very impressive and then unfortunately he had an injury and we were stopped. He ran very well at Exeter but he needed the race badly and blew up. We have had plenty of time since then to get him right but he is inexperienced and we must not forget that."

The Kevin Bishop-trained Ashley Brook will have Tony McCoy aboard for the first time as regular partner Paddy Brennan is sidelined with a broken leg.

Brennan, who partnered the seven-year-old to a famous success in a Grade One event at Aintree last April, is confident Ashley Brook will be much closer to Monkerhostin and Kauto Star this time around.

"He should have improved in every way since the Exeter run. A lot of people say I went a bit fast but he is a horse who you can't hang around on and that's the way he has got to be ridden," he said. "It is not going to be easy but he has every chance. He was giving Monkerhostin almost a stone at Exeter and that is an awful lot of weight. They are running off level weights on Saturday and things will be an awful lot closer."

Queen Mother Champion Chase fourth Oneway will represent Mark Rimell with the Oxfordshire handler noting the lack of proven two-mile champions in the line-up. "On his Queen Mother form he has got a bit to find to trouble the best but there is no doubt that with Azertyuiop, Well Chief and now Moscow Flyer all out of action, it must have improved our chances," he said.

"On that form he is a decent handicapper but he has just spent his first summer out at grass for a couple of years and he has come back very well." Rathgar Beau's trainer Eamonn Sheehy is hoping his stable star can bounce back quickly from his minor setback and has already pencilled in another race at Cork.

He said: "He schooled okay this morning but his scope wasn't quite right so he isn't going to run.

"He will now go for the Hilly Way Chase at Cork on Sunday week and then head to Leopardstown over Christmas for the two-mile-one-furlong race (Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase). His main aim this season is definitely the Queen Mother at Cheltenham and he will be trained with that in mind."

BETTING: William Hill Tingle Creek Trophy Chase. William Hill: 11-8 Kauto Star, 3-1 Ashley Brook, 5-1 Monkerhostin, 6-1 Oneway, 10-1 Sporazene, 22-1 Hand Inn Hand, 25-1 Locksmith. Ladbrokes: 11-8 Kauto Star, 3-1 Ashley Brook, 5-1 Monkerhostin, 6-1 Oneway, 10-1 Sporazene, 20-1 Hand Inn Hand, 25-1 Locksmith. Totesport: 7-4 Kauto Star, 11-4 Ashley Brook, 9-2 Oneway, 6-1 Monkerhostin, 8-1 Sporazene, 20-1 Hand Inn Hand, Locksmith. Coral: 7-4 Kauto Star, 11-4 Ashley Brook, 4-1 Monkerhostin, 5-1 Oneway, 10-1 Sporazene, 16-1 Hand Inn Hand, 20-1 Locksmith.