Le Coudray can continue his remarkable comeback to the top level by winning the Denny Gold Medal Chase, the feature of Leopardstown's first day.

The ex-French superstar returned from a three-year lay-off through serious injury at Cork last month and three races later he already looks one of the hottest horses in the country.

The Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse completed the comeback at Grade One level as Le Coudray put a smooth six lengths between himself and the prolific Barrow Drive. But now the challenge is the two-mile trip, maybe even more than the six opponents.

The Denny means no penalty, but also a trip that is widely believed to be short of Le Coudray's best. Certainly it's not the usual progression for a horse that is a general 10 to 1 favourite for the SunAlliance Chase over three miles. Last year's Denny winner Moscow Flyer went on to win the Arkle at the festival.

But both jockey Barry Geraghty and trainer Christy Roche are confident the drop back in distance will not be a factor.

"The trip is not a worry. From riding him myself at home I wonder how he ever ran such a good race in the Stayers Hurdle (1999.) He has lots of pace," Roche said.

Of the opposition, Le Coudray has already put Ricardo to the sword this season and The Gatherer, also in the JP McManus colours, is on a recovery mission having fallen on his fencing debut.

That leaves Bust Out, on whom Geraghty won last time, although the former smart hurdler was left with the race as a result of Canary Wharf's fatal last-fence fall.

The other Denny-sponsored feature is the Juvenile Hurdle, where the shortest priced Irish-trained Triumph Hurdle hope, Golden Cross, has a second start over flights.

A Fairyhouse win on his debut means the Micheal Halford-trained runner has to concede 3lbs, which in the past has often swung the race away from the Graded winner.

Harchibald overcame a bad error early on his debut to score snugly at Fairyhouse while the expensive Mirpour has yet to win over jumps.

Preference is for Dermot Weld's Party Airs who has won both his starts at Gowran and Thurles and looks a type to thrive once things get tough. As regards ante-post Cheltenham bets however, it's worth remembering that no Denny winner has ever gone on to land the Triumph in March.

That would mean another winner for the championship-chasing Geraghty and like so many days already this year, he and Paul Carberry look set to dominate the winner's enclosure.

Tony Mullins has Barrow Drive at Limerick but there is widespread confidence in the chance of his Ri Na Realta in the Leopardstown opener. The uncertainty over the health of some Edward O'Grady-trained horses introduces a worry to the chance of Kickham in this race.

Carberry can bounce back however with Mullacash in the second maiden hurdle and maybe the most intriguing of his chances comes on Rare Ouzel in the handicap hurdle.

This one was a gamble at an eventful Cheltenham in November, when only Juirancon finished ahead of him. The effort was still enough to see Rare Ouzel's running referred to the Jockey Club at Portman Square and afterwards it was revealed that the horse was one of those to test positive for morphine in the current feed-contamination controversy.

A less eventful but more successful outing is expected now.

Willie Mullins has used the Ballyfree Flat Race to introduce the Cheltenham bumper winners, Florida Pearl and Wither Or Which, so his runner has to be respected again. Christy Roche gives Which Half a run here rather than a hurdle and the move looks significant.