Henrietta Knight is gearing Foly Pleasant up for a Cheltenham rematch with Shooting Light in the Tripleprint Gold Cup.

Knight's six-year-old ex-French gelding finished second to Martin Pipe's Shooting Light in the Thomas Pink Gold Cup at Prestbury Park last month.

But the second-season chaser - one of 22 horses who stood their ground for Saturday's race at yesterday's confirmation stage - is set to reoppose on 7lb better terms, giving Knight reason to be optimistic.

Shooting Light will be top of most people's lists to make a victorious return for a third win at the course this season and the eight-year old - a revelation since switching to Nicholashayne this season - will have 11st 5lb to carry.

Even so Knight believes the turnaround in the weights, the slight increase in distance - two miles four-and-a-half furlongs on the Old Course to two miles and about five furlongs on the New Course - and the possibility of easier ground will all play to her horse's strengths.

She declined to second-guess the suitability of conditions for Shooting Light but hopes that, notwithstanding a forecast dry week, the Cheltenham turf will ride slower this time round.

"It still might be softer than it was last time. There could easily be some drizzle, and that will help our horse.

"There is an extra furlong or so in this race as well, and it is all good news for us." Knight reported her charge in good form as she begins his final preparation for the race and said: "We went up 4lb (after the Thomas Pink), so we will have to be better off (with Shooting Light) in the weights from last time.

"The horse is well, and we hope the conditions will suit us." Ante-post favourite Shooting Light and Foly Pleasant are by no means certainties to fight out the finish again, though, in what is shaping up to be a competitive renewal of what is always a wide-open handicap.

Legal Right is the new top-weight on Saturday following the anticipated defection of Fadalko.

Paul Nicholls took Fadalko out as he had indicated he would, leaving Jonjo O'Neill's eight-year-old having to shoulder 12 stone if he takes his chance following a 10lb rise in the weights.

Legal Right ran away with the same race two years ago but is notoriously unsound and has made the racecourse on precious few occasions since.

O'Neill got him ready to run in Wetherby's Charlie Hall Chase six weeks ago when he went off 2 to 1 favourite but finished fourth to Sackville.

Shooting Light's trainer Martin Pipe still has seven horses left in the two mile five furlong race. His notable absentee is Cyfor Malta, who returned from a long absence with a victory at Newbury last week but has been given the chance to recover from those exertions.

The highest-rated of Pipe's contingent is Upgrade. Other eye-catching runners at this stage include Nicky Henderson's second-season chaser Dusk Duel, Pipe's French recruit Ilnamar and Paul Nicholls' Whitenzo.

Arthur Moore's Lyreen Wonder and More Than A Stroll represent the Irish challenge, while Mick Easterby is set to send dual Wetherby winner Banker Count south.

Henderson is hoping Dusk Duel will be able to take his chance but is currently unable to commit his handily-weighted six-year-old, who ran with credit behind Wahiba Sands on his reappearance at Ascot. "He is going to work tomorrow, and we will make a decision after that," he said.

TRIPLEPRINT GOLD CUP (Ladbrokes bet): 4-1 Shooting Light, 5-1 Banker Count, Foly Pleasant, 7-1 Dusk Duel, Ilnamar, 9-1 Logician, 12-1 Irbee, Legal Right, 14-1 Young Spartacus, 16-1 Gower-Slave, Whitenzo, 20-1 bar.

Jockey Martin Dwyer landed a 149-1 hat- trick at Southwell yesterday on Flaming Spirit (6 to 4), Star Seventeen (7 to 1) and Ipanema Beach (13 to 2).