Last year's winner Al Boum Photo heads a field of 12 after all the five-day confirmations were declared for the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday.
Al Boum Photo ended Willie Mullins hoodoo in the blue riband of steeplechasing and has trod the same path by winning his warm-up race at Tramore on New Year's Day.
Mullins also saddles Kemboy, who bids to atone for his first-fence departure last year. He went on to win Grade Ones at Aintree and Punchestown, but has been beaten in both his starts this season behind the reopposing Delta Work.
His trainer Gordon Elliott is aiming for a second Gold Cup, following the triumph of Don Cossack four years ago. Real Steel is Mullins' third string.
The Irish contingent is completed by Pat Kelly's Presenting Percy and the Henry de Bromhead pair of Monalee and Chris's Dream.
The home team is headed by Nicky Henderson's Santini, who took the Cotswold Chase on Cheltenham Festival Trials day in January.
Paul Nicholls has high hopes for dual King George hero Clan Des Obeaux as he bids to equal Tom Dreaper's record of five Gold Cup wins.
Betfair Chase winner Lostintranslation and Elegant Escape are Colin Tizzard's two representatives while the field is completed by the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Bristol De Mai, who was third in last year's Gold Cup.
Solo and three fellow big guns near the top of the market are all among a final field of 13 for the JCB Triumph Hurdle.
Nicholls' Adonis winner is joined by unbeaten pair Goshen and Allmankind - for Gary Moore and Dan Skelton respectively - as well as Ireland's big hope, De Bromhead's Aspire Tower.
Allmankind has not run since his victory in the Grade One Finale Hurdle at Chepstow over Christmas, and Goshen has also been absent since his third success at Ascot in January.
Other notable contenders include two more from Ireland - Joseph O'Brien's Grade One winner A Wave Of The Sea and Mullins' filly Burning Victory - as well as Nicholls' Sir Psycho, successful in last month's Victor Ludorum at Haydock.
Philip Hobbs' Thyme Hill, winner of the Grade One Challow at Newbury on his most recent start in late December, is one of 19 declarations in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle.
Paul Nolan's Latest Exhibition, also a Grade One scorer last time at the Dublin Racing Festival, leads an Irish challenge which includes three Mullins hopes in Aione, Janidil and Monkfish.
Elliott relies on his three-time hurdles winner Fury Road for the three-mile novice championship - while David Pipe's Ramses De Teillee, who has made such a success of his switch back to the smaller obstacles this season, and Tizzard's Harry Senior and Lieutenant Rocco catch the eye too.
A maximum field of 24 will line up as Hazel Hill defends his crown in the St James's Place Foxhunter Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase.
Chief among rivals for Philip Rowley's prolific hunter chaser and point-to-pointer is Jonjo O'Neill's former Gold Cup runner-up Minella Rocco, who beat Hazel Hill when they met at Wetherby last month.
They are joined by the lightly-raced but very well-touted Staker Wallace - owned like Minella Rocco by JP McManus and trained in Ireland by Enda Bolger - Mullins' Billaway and dual Festival winner Don Poli, trained by Nick Pearce to win two Alnwick point-to-points this season.
