Champion Chase winner Moscow Flyer will face just five rivals when he bids to maintain his unbeaten record over fences in the John Smith's Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday.
Jessica Harrington's star will be out to land his nineteenth race over the larger obstacles following his superb performance at Cheltenham last month, where he saw off Well Chief by two lengths.
And the 11-year-old proved he stays this two-and-a half-mile trip when he took the Grade One contest by six lengths from Isio 12 months ago.
Paul Nicholls will saddle two against the champion - Le Roi Miguel and Kadarann, the latter finishing fifth in the Champion Chase.
Martin Pipe's Therealbandit and the Dr Philip Pritchard-trained outsider Davoski complete the field.
Rule Supreme will run over hurdles tomorrow after Willie Mullins decided the ground was likely to be too fast for his Irish Hennessy winner to tackle the chase course.
The County Carlow handler had been deliberating whether to send his versatile nine-year-old over timber or fences, but the lack of significant rainfall has forced his hand.
"From what I can gather they didn't get as much rain in Liverpool last night as they expected, and the ground is pretty good," said Mullins.
"If it was soft we might have gone over fences, and the fact David Casey couldn't ride if we went over fences was an issue, but the ground for this meeting was the key issue.
"If 'good' was in the going description then we didn't think there was any point in going over fences this time."
Rule Supreme will face eight rivals in the John Smith's And Batleys Liverpool Hurdle that opens the meeting, after finishing third in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Inglis Drever and Baracouda, who finished ahead of him that day, are absent, although fourth-placed Westender will reoppose.