Poquelin (11st 12lb) will have to concede upwards of 4lb to his rivals as he bids for a third successive victory in the £100,000 Grade Three Spinal Research The Atlantic 4 Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday, December 10.
Weights for the prestigious two mile, five furlong handicap chase, one of the highlights of The International, are revealed today, Wednesday, November 30.
Owned by race sponsor the Stewart Family, Poquelin stormed to an emphatic success in the Spinal Research The Atlantic 4 Gold Cup in 2009 and returned to Cheltenham last year to beat this season's Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Great Endeavour (11st 1lb) by a length.
The Paul Nicholls-trained chaser's superb record over the course and distance of the Spinal Research The Atlantic 4 Gold Cup also includes victory in the Grade Two Masterson Holdings Silver Trophy Chase in April and a fine second in the Grade One Ryanair Chase at The Festival in March, 2010.
Divers (10st) also boasts winning form over two miles and five furlongs of Cheltenham's New Course, having stayed on strongly to take the Listed Centenary Novices' Handicap Chase at this year's Festival.
The progressive seven-year-old headed back to Cheltenham last month for the Grade Three Paddy Power Gold Cup and ran an excellent race to take third behind Great Endeavour, despite being 5lb out of the handicap.
His trainer Ferdy Murphy commented: “Divers is in great form. We are just hoping that there is not too much rain at Cheltenham before next weekend and we are very happy with him at the moment.
“We were very pleased with his run in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. He went there in fantastic form and had improved a lot for his seasonal return at Carlisle (October 30), but the rain made the ground a bit too tacky for him.
“Graham (Lee) said that he ran well but just emptied out on him in the last 100 yards, which we put down to the ground.
“We are going to be spot on in the weights if Poquelin takes his chance and the fresh ground of the New Course should help his cause.”
Great Endeavour could bid to become the fourth horse to complete the Paddy Power Gold Cup/Spinal Research The Atlantic 4 Gold Cup in the same season, following on from Pegwell Bay (1988), Senor El Betrutti (1997) and Exotic Dancer (2006). The seven-year-old's trainer David Pipe may also be represented by I'msingingtheblues (10st 10lb), Matuhi (9st 13lb) and Salut Flo (9st 9lb).
Paddy Power Gold Cup runner-up Quantitativeeasing (10st 3lb) is among five potential runners from the stable of Nicky Henderson alongside recent Haydock winner Nadiya De La Vega (10st), Surfing (10st 8lb), Forzy Origny (9st 12lb) and Aigle D'Or (9st 7lb).
Apart from Poquelin, the champion trainer has Grade One runner-up Ghizao (10st 12lb), Paddy Power Gold Cup fourth Aerial (9st 12lb), Royal Charm (10st 3lb) and Woolcombe Folly (11st 8lb).
Other notable contenders include the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Sunnyhillboy (10st), Grade Two winner Wishfull Thinking (11st 8lb), representing Philip Hobbs, and the Alan King-trained Medermit (11st 1lb), who captured a Grade One novices' chase at Sandown last season and the in-form Roudoudou Ville (10st 3lb) from Victor Darntall's yard.
The six Irish-trained contenders include the Willie Mullins-trained trio of Quel Esprit (10st 6lb), Quiscover Fontaine (9st 13lb) and Apt Approach (10st 2lb) plus this year's Irish Grand National victor Organisedconfusion (10st 3lb), from the stable of Arthur Moore.
The International takes place at Cheltenham on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10, and also features the £130,000 Grade Two StanJames.com International which often provides valuable clues for the Stan James Champion Hurdle at The Festival in March.
