Ante-post favourite Cue Card tops the 23 confirmations for the Stan James Supreme Novices' Hurdle, the first race of the four-day Cheltenham Festival meeting on Tuesday.
Colin Tizzard's five-year-old is taking the easier option instead of the Champion Hurdle. He won the Weatherbys' Champion Bumper last spring and suffered his only defeat to date when second to Menorah in the International Hurdle on this course in December on his latest outing.
He is set to be taken on by many promising sorts, including Nicky Henderson's trio of Gibb River, Spirit Son and Sprinter Sacre. There may also be three from the Paul Nicholls stable - Al Ferof, Rock On Ruby and Sam Winner.
The Irish contingent is led by trainer Willie Mullins, who has So Young and Zaidpour. The Mouse Morris-trained pair of First Lieutenant and Tillahow, and Dermot Weld's Hidden Universe are still in contention.
A strong entry also includes Recession Proof and Marsh Warbler, but Gary Moore has yet to decide whether to run Megastar in the Supreme or wait for the longer Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle on Wednesday.
"If it comes up soft he definitely won't run at Cheltenham," the trainer told At The Races.
"If it's on the quick side he'd go for the Neptune and if it wasn't he'd go for the two-mile race (Supreme)."
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