Owner Rich Ricci admits there’s a slight worry over Mares’ Hurdle favourite Lossiemouth tackling the longer distance for the first time on Tuesday.
The five-year-old mare wowed in last year's Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and made a blistering return in the Unibet Hurdle at the same venue.
Both of those races were over the Champion Hurdle distance of two miles, a race that looks at the mercy of stablemate State Man after the injury to defending champion Constitution Hill.
- The sisters riding to Cheltenham Festival and Grand National glory!
- Ricci: Trip a slight concern for Lossiemouth
She will instead likely move up in distance four furlongs for the Mares' Hurdle, a race Ricci has won in the past with Annie Power and Benie Des Dieux.
And that distance is something of a question mark, with Ricci admitting it is a slight concern despite her standing in the market.
"We all know that five-year-olds have a challenging record in the race. We learned a lot last year about Vauban when you look at how he struggled," Ricci exclusively told Sky Sports Racing.
"The challenge this year is taking our time with mare, she had a tough year last year and the plan was always to run in the Mares' with one eye on the Champion in case it cut up.
"The intention has always been to run in the Mares' and hopefully if she's good enough she can come back and have a go at the boys next year to give her another year to mature and fill out.
"I know a lot of people would be having a go at running her there but looking at her ratings, not one of them would've won a Champion Hurdle in the last 10 years.
"She's calmed down a bit. Last year she got a bit lit up and went early but her class got her through.
"She seems to be settling a bit and the trip is a concern as she's never won over it but they all think she'll get it and on breeding she should do. She's our best chance of the week."
'He looked to spit the dummy out!'
Another star owned by Ricci is Gaelic Warrior, who disappointed last time out at the Dublin Racing Festival when unseating at the last behind Fact To File.
His jumping at left-handed tracks like Cheltenham has also been an issue, but Ricci felt the horse is in much better form than last month.
"He's a nut job and a bit of a knuckle head at the racecourse! He prefers to go right-handed and it probably would be the right thing to go to Fairyhouse and Punchestown but there's only one Cheltenham Festival so we'll run him again," Ricci added.
"We're leaning towards running in the Arkle - I don't know what happened the last day and we can't explain it. He looked to spit the dummy out.
"I'm hoping we'll see him with a better performance in the Dublin Racing Festival.
"He's won over two miles and likes to get on with it and maybe over the shorter trip, he wouldn't lose as much ground jumping.
"The main thing is the horse is in good form and looks better in himself."
Monkfish may go the Gold Cup
Two-time Cheltenham Festival winner Monkfish is another on the radar and could well line up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, having landed the Galmoy Hurdle last month.
Injuries have plagued the career of the talented ten-year-old, who won both the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle and the RSA Novices' Chase at the meeting.
"We keep talking about the Gold Cup," he said. "It would appear the natural race in the Stayers' and he was very good the last day in the Galmoy.
"That being said, if it comes up soft he may go for the Gold Cup, that's what Willie is intending to do at the moment.
"We won't talk about it until next week, but the fact that Willie is talking about that, given the level of the competition [in the Gold Cup], means the horse is in great nick and in great form.
"We always thought he was a Gold Cup horse and maybe this is the year he'll take his chance."