KAUTO STAR might look a stand-out for today's Down Royal feature but the Paul Nicholls team have a lot riding on the 2007 Gold Cup hero getting it right on his first visit to Ireland.
For one thing the majority of this afternoon's €140,000 prize-fund for the JNwine.com Champion Chase would have figured in Nicholls's calculations at the start of the season when he outlined hopes to add the Irish trainers' title to his British crown.
Nicholls currently lies in ninth place in Ireland but a win for Kauto Star today, and for Noland in the Grade Three Killultagh Properties Chase, would put him right on the coat-tails of the current leader Jessica Harrington.
However, the most important consideration of all will be Kauto Star's performance as the chaser starts a campaign that his connections hope will see him regain his Gold Cup crown from Denman.
The two stable companions dominated the build-up to Cheltenham last season but the Gold Cup itself turned into something of a damp squib as Kauto Star clearly didn't run, or jump, up to his best.
More worryingly, he also subsequently got nosed out of victory at Aintree when looking to have the race in the bag. Both runs pointed to a fallibility in the French-bred horse that hadn't been there before so there will be intense interest in how he shapes today.
Two other British raiders, as well as two home runners who look out-gunned, line up but on the conditions it should be The Listener rather than the 2007 Gold Cup third Turpin Green who emerges as the main threat.
Last season's John Durkan and Hennessy winner will have his favoured testing ground for his first start for Nick Mitchell but if the real Kauto Star stands up he should win this.
Scotsirish has the figures to make him a major contender in the Grade Three support race so Ruby Walsh's decision to stick with Noland looks significant.
The former Cheltenham winner ran third to Tidal Bay in last season's Arkle which was a disappointment to some but now looks a good effort considering his inexperience at the time.
Arc Bleu ran second in the English Cesarewitch on his last start and is hard to oppose in the two-mile handicap hurdle.
