Champ and Paisley Park will renew rivalry in the rescheduled Ladbrokes Long Walk Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.
The race was due to be run at Ascot before Christmas but the cold snap saw the fixture cancelled, giving racegoers in Sunbury an additional highlight on one of the feature festive cards.
Nicky Henderson's Champ proved a neck too strong for the Emma Lavelle-trained Paisley Park in a thrilling finish to last month's Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury, with the latter narrowly failing with his customary late charge.
The duo take each other on again in a five-strong field that also features Goshen, who will be stepping to three miles for the first time after returning to winning form for Gary Moore with a bloodless Ascot Hurdle success.
Another switching up in trip is Hughie Morrison's Not So Sleepy, a well-beaten third behind Constitution Hill in the Fighting Fifth, while the five-strong field is completed by the Paul Nicholls-trained Miranda – a Listed victor at Kempton on her most recent spin.
Morrison saw little merit in taking on Nicky Henderson's superstar again in Monday's Christmas Hurdle and is keen to test the water over the staying distance.
He said: "We got some encouragement from the fact we felt he stayed the Cesarewitch distance of two and a quarter miles (finished third) and when you apply that with a few hurdles and a different tempo, it gives you optimism that he might get three miles on an easy track like Kempton.
"He's achieved as much as one could expect over two miles and I think we can readily accept that Constitution Hill looks a grade above anything else in this country at the moment.
"Johnny Burke (jockey) mentioned the Long Walk and I said 'funny you say that as I've already got him pencilled in for it'. We're looking forward to having a go and the horse owes us absolutely nothing.
"We're realistic, but we're not going there without any sort of hope."
The five-strong field is completed by the Paul Nicholls-trained Miranda – a Listed victor at Kempton on her most recent spin.
Nicholls holds a strong hand in the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices' Chase, fielding both Gelino Bello and McFabulous.
The first-named has won both his starts over fences and will be ridden by Bryony Frost, while Harry Cobden has opted to ride McFabulous, who is two from three in chase company and landed a Newbury Grade Two last month.
He beat Thyme Hill that day and Philip Hobbs' charge will attempt to reverse that six-and-a-half-length defeat.
Dan Skelton runs Galia Des Liteaux rather than Ballygrifincottage, with the experienced Mortlach from Fergal O'Brien's yard the final contender for Grade One honours.
