Redemption, from Paul Webber's Cropredy stables near Banbury, will bid to overturn Ascot form with Wahiba Sands and Get Real when he returns to the Berkshire track on Saturday for the Victor Chandler Chase.

Last time, the seven-year-old gelding finished third, beaten three-quarters of a length and five lengths behind Wahiba Sands and Get Real, receiving 7lb and 1lb respectively.

Redemption was cruising behind the leaders and was just being eased out to launch his challenge when he hit the second-last hard.

Wahiba Sands has a 4lb penalty for the win, while Redemption will meet Get Real on the same terms in the £60,000 contest.

Webber said: "He was a tad unlucky last time and we've got a bit to find with those two in front of us, but let's hope we have a clean, uninterrupted round and we'll go pretty close."

Ladbrokes betting: 9-4 Young Devereaux, 9-2 Wahiba Sands, Get Real, 6 Turgeonev, Exit Swinger, 8 Redemption, 10-1 Fadoudal du Cochet, 14-1 others.

"He was just a bit unfortunate at the second last. He was travelling well, didn't get much daylight and hardly saw the fence."

Webber does not have any concerns over underfoot conditions for his charge.

"He seems to act on most types of ground," he said. "He's won on heavy and run extremely well on good ground."

Willie Mullins will attempt to plunder another big prize on this side of the Irish Sea when he sends Killultagh Storm over for the Ascot race.

Arthur Moore's Jeffell was the last Irish-trained horse to land the Grade 2 contest back in 1998.

And the weights for this year's renewal are set to go up by at least 15lb which would put the Irish runner on 10st 5lb.

"That should suit us and we'd prefer goodish ground for him," remarked Mullins. "Ruby Walsh will probably ride. I think that's the plan."

Killultagh Storm was a shade unlucky when third to Knife Edge in November before coming home last of seven finishers behind the same horse at Leopardstown.

But Mullins explained: "I think he got a bump at the first fence and it just unsettled him completely. He just never took part after the first fence - didn't go at all."

TAKE TURGEONEV FOR ASCOT HONOURS

By Robert Pratt, PA Sport

Some top-class action is in store at Ascot on Saturday when the feature event is the £60,000 Victor Chandler Chase.

And following the victory of the Mary Reveley-trained Function Dream 12 months ago this trappy two-mile handicap can once again fall to a northern raider.

This time it can go to Tim Easterby's rapidly-improving seven-year-old Turgeonev.

The grey, formerly trained by Micky Hammond, has won his last three starts for his new trainer, completing his hat-trick with a battling win in the Castleford Chase at Wetherby.

Turgeonev has incurred a 4lb penalty for the Victor Chandler, which puts him on the 8st 9lb mark, but with the weights set to go up by at least 15lb, Easterby's charge would be just 8lb 'wrong'.

Ridden by Tony Dobbin last time, Turgeonev was held up in the rear as Minster Glory and Jungli cut out a decent pace.

Moving through to challenge going to the third-last, he looked to struggle momentarily at the next, but came with a renewed effort after the final fence to beat Minster Glory by half a length, with Jungli five lengths away.

"The key to him is that he settles now," said Easterby. "He used to pull very hard, but he's been ridden out at home by either Russ Garritty or my conditional David O'Meara, and they've done a great job.

"The Ascot race is his objective, though he's well out of the handicap and will need the weights to go up if he's to get in."

Young Devereaux, runner-up to Cyfor Malta on his first run for nearly two years at Newbury in December, is 2-1 favourite with the sponsors for the race.

The Martin Pipe-trained Wahiba Sands, the likely top-weight, is on 6-1.

The gelding won again at the course just before Christmas, beating Get Real, who is 9-2 second-favourite for the Ascot chase.

Wahiba Sands got up close home to beat fellow course specialist Get Real by three-quarters of a length that day.

The winner looked in trouble turning for home but Redemption made a bad error at the second-last fence when travelling well and Tony McCoy stoked Wahiba Sands up to score by three-quarters of a length.

Pipe said: It wasn't a very fast pace so he has done well to get there.

"I thought Get Real was a good thing, as he has come down a lot in the weights and we were giving him 6lb, so it was a terrific effort."

The nine-year-old, who last month took the notable scalp of Best Mate in the First National Gold Cup, was making it four wins from four appearances at Ascot and will make them all go in the Victor Chandler.

The race is also on the agenda for Get Real, whose trainer Nicky Henderson described the 10-year-old's first run of the season as "unreal".

He said: "It's unbelievable. To go and do that on his first run for a year was unreal.

"He's run his heart out but he'll be back. He needs two miles and a right-handed track so it's got to be the Victor Chandler Chase back here for him."

Redemption, a further five lengths back in third, has been backed from an opening 12-1 to 7-1 in the early exchanges but a deal of improvement would be needed for Paul Webber's charge to reverse placings with the first two.

He may be better over further than two miles.

Ante-post favourite Young Devereaux is unlikely to run if the going is good or faster, trainer Paul Nicholls has warned.

Nicholls has been aiming the nine-year-old at the race since his highly-encouraging return from injury against Cyfor Malta.

The Ditcheat trainer fears that two miles could prove to be too sharp unless the ground was on the soft side.

He said: "While I'm looking to run him there if the going is soft, I wouldn't be keen to go two miles with him on good ground and I'd like to see some rain. I think two and a half would probably be his best trip, but he'd be very effective over two on soft ground."

An interesting contender could be the Willie Mullins-trained Killultagh Storm.

Arthur Moore's Jeffell was the last Irish-trained horse to land the Grade Two contest back in 1998 but Killultagh Storm is a progressive young horse with the scope to make a high-class performer in time.

He was confidently ridden to beat Arctic Copper by three lengths at Down Royal in November before being a shade unlucky behind the smart Knife Edge at Naas later that month.

Killultagh Storm is on a handy mark at Ascot and priced at around 20-1 he could represent good each-way value.

But it has to be Turgeonev, who gets the verdict over Wahiba Sands with Killultagh Storm booked for minor honours.

Victor Chandler's betting: 2-1 Young Devereaux, 9-2 Get Real, 6-1 Wahiba Sands, 7-1 Exit Swinger, Redemption, 8-1 Turgeonev, 12-1 Tiutchev, 14-1 Davoski, 16-1 Fadoudal du Cochet, Cenkos, 20-1 Killultagh Storm, Wave Rock, 25-1 Barnburgh Boy, Rockforce, 33-1 Lord York, Tresor de Mai, 66-1 Catfish Keith, 250-1 Calon Lan.

end