Faugheen© Photo Healy Racing
Last year's winner Faugheen is the star turn among 19 entries for the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The eight-year-old saw off stable companions Arctic Fire and Hurricane Fly to lead home a one-two-three for Willie Mullins in last year's renewal and the champion trainer again has a strong hand.
Faugheen suffered a shock defeat at the hands of stablemate Nichols Canyon on his seasonal reappearance in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown, but bounced back to form to successfully defend his crown in Kempton's Christmas Hurdle.
Nichols Canyon has also won since, landing the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown, and the pair, along with Arctic Fire, are set to do battle in this weekend's Irish Champion Hurdle before heading to Prestbury Park in March.
Mullins has a fourth entry for the Champion Hurdle in Sempre Medici while Henry de Bromhead's Identity Thief completes the potential Irish challenge.
Nicky Henderson has five possible runners, with last year's Triumph Hurdle winner Peace And Co 2014 Champion Hurdle runner-up My Tent Or Yours Sign Of A Victory Top Notch and Hargam on the list.
Paul Nicholls has a couple of outsiders in Old Guard and All Yours while The New One is set for a third Champion Hurdle, having finished third and fifth in the last two renewals for Nigel Twiston-Davies. War Sound Camping Ground Parlour Games, Purple Bay Mad Jack Mytton and Aristo Du Plessis complete the entries.
The latter, who has won his last six completed starts, is the sole Scottish-trained contender. James Ewart's charge is set to bid for a Musselburgh hat-trick in the Scottish County Hurdle on February 7 and another victory could earn him a shot at Champion Hurdle glory on March 15.
Ewart said: "Aristo Du Plessis is the flagship horse for us and we will consider our options after Musselburgh.
"We could go to Cheltenham but he is still a young horse and his main aim this season is the Scottish Champion Hurdle (Ayr, April 16). But if he runs very well at Musselburgh and everybody is in agreement, the Champion Hurdle will be seriously considered.
"He has not run in a Listed or Graded race but his rating is now 150 and he is rated not far off Grade One winners. We will have to see how he gets on in a level weights contest - hopefully the handicapper is right.
"He had exactly the same problem as Cue Card - a trapped epiglottis - and that was operated on last summer and has led to a marked improvement.
"If the Champion Hurdle cuts up and there were only seven or eight runners then I could see us taking our place in the race.
"It is tremendously exciting to have a horse like him. I have been training here since 2004 and I have only had two runners at the Cheltenham Festival because it is so hard to produce a horse good enough to go there, let alone to compete in a Grade One blue riband contest like the Champion Hurdle.
"It is what we all work for."
