Racing: Paul Nicholls is confident Denman can pick up the gauntlet from Kauto Star in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on Friday.
The Ditcheat team completed the first leg of a possible big-race double when the Gold Cup winner sluiced home in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.
Nicholls now anticipates another huge display from seamless Hennessy scorer Denman, the young pretender to Kauto Star's crown at the Cheltenham Festival.
He said: "Denman is fine and it is all systems go with him. He gave a cough on the Monday after the Hennessy which caused a bit of a scare, but it didn't worry us and it was blown out of all proportion.
"I was concerned he would need the run in the Hennessy as it had been a funny autumn and he is a tank of a horse.
"He has tightened up from then and I do think he has come on for the run. He won nicely last time, but you can only win a race the way it happens on the day."
Denman, who has lost just once in 11 races, is as short as 4-9 with Paddy Power to win the Grade One Lexus.
Ruby Walsh's mount faces stiff opposition from last year's winner The Listener, who looked in rude health when landing the spoils in the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown.
Ten-time Grade One winner Beef Or Salmon has claimed this race on three occasions and teams up with the rejuvenated Mossbank from Michael Hourigan's yard.
The British-trained contingent is strengthened by the inclusion of the Evan Williams-trained State Of Play and Paddy Power Gold Cup winner L'Antartique.
The Listener's connections are cautiously optimistic about their chances of lowering the colours of Denman.
Nick Mitchell, assistant trainer to Robert Alner, said: "It's raining at the moment, which is obviously good news, but it would need to rain all day to have any real effect.
"The ground's easy enough as it is, though, so we're fairly confident. He travelled well — he always does — and seems to really enjoy coming to different places.
"It's not just about Denman — there's Beef Or Salmon in there again and he beat us last year (in the Irish Hennessy). But he's in top form and we think we've got a good chance."
Williams is acutely aware of the magnitude of the challenge that awaits State Of Play.
The 2006 Hennessy winner was turned over when favourite for the Charlie Hall but is reported to have improved for that second-placed finish behind Ollie Magern.
"He's a better horse now than he was at Wetherby — probably 4lb or 5lb better," said the Welsh handler.
"The trouble is we'd probably need him to have improved by about 14lb to win the Lexus. It's such a good race and I'd be over the moon if he finishes in the first three.
"Perhaps we should have gone for the Rowland Meyrick (at Wetherby on St Stephen's Day) but we wanted to give him another chance in a Grade One."