IMPERIAL CALL will face a maximum of eight rivals when he bids to repeat last year's victory in the £100,000 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Sunday. The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner was among six Irish trained acceptors yesterday for the biggest chase of the season in this country.

He has run only once to date this term, when falling at the last with a race at his mercy at Punchestown last month.

But trainer Fergie Sutherland reported him in good fettle after a weekend work out, saying: "He's fine and in grand form. I'm chuffed with him as he is pinging." Most notable absentee from the 22 original entries for the three mile conditions race was Gold Cup second favourite Coome Hill.

Permit holder Walter Dennis took the Newbury Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup winner out of the race yesterday, explaining: "During the freeze we put him in a lot of races just to try and get a run into him but if he ran well in Ireland he would go up a lot in the handicap. "He is in the Agfa Diamond Chase at Sandown on Saturday and it is possible he could run there but the fast ground is a worry it has been an extraordinary winter, the driest I have ever known.

"I haven't looked much further forward but he could go for the Greenalls Gold Cup at Haydock as they tend to have slower ground there. But the trouble is that that is another three weeks away! Coome Hill will be entered for the Grand National too but we are taking it one race at a time at this stage."

Britain, whose representatives have won the race eight times in its 10 year history, is likely to have three runners in the Leopardstown race.

Jodami, who won the race every year from 1992 to 1994 and was denied the chance to bid for a four timer by an 11th hour setback 12 months ago, will represent Peter Beaumont.