Fota Island secured a memorable Cheltenham Festival triumph in last year's Grand Annual but the JP McManus-owned star set himself up for an assault on the biggest two-mile prize of all by winning at Fairyhouse yesterday.
Bookmaker reaction to a four-length defeat of Old Flame in the Grade Two Normans Grove Chase was to cut Fota Island to a general 6 to 1 third favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase in March.
Even though yesterday's odds-on favourite Central House finished last of the four runners, and was afterwards found to be lame with a pulled muscle, Fota Island still did enough to be considered a valid threat to Moscow Flyer and Kauto Star.
"Very impressive," was Tony McCoy's verdict and trainer Mouse Morris is confident that better will come.
"All his best form is on better ground and when I saw the ground today I thought I'd be second. It walked good but I thought it would be a bit dead," Morris said. "He can't do anymore than win and we're on track for Cheltenham. He won't run again before it."
In contrast McCoy was confident of success beforehand and that confidence was only boosted by Central House's lacklustre display. The favourite led early but never looked happy and was beaten by the third last. A mistake two out meant he finished well behind and the run was too bad to be true.
Sure enough Central House was found to have pulled a muscle and his trainer Dessie Hughes said: "He will be on the easy list and plans are fluid. He ran flat, with no kick, and you need that in these races."
McCoy had earlier secured a 15th success of the season in Ireland when another McManus-owned runner, Firth Of Forth, justified short odds in the three-mile novice hurdle.
It wasn't the picnic the 1 to 2 odds might have suggested and the 20 to 1 outsider Druids Cross ran Firth Of Forth to a hard-hidden neck in a tight finish.
Firth Of Forth is an entry in the Brit Insurances Novices' at Cheltenham but trainer Joe Crowley admitted: "He would want to keep improving to go there. I'm relieved he won there."
One horse definitely on his way to Cheltenham is Our Ben, who has had the SunAlliance Chase as a target ever since running third in the SunAlliance Hurdle last year.
"He will go for the Moriarty at Leopardstown next. Running today gives me more time to prepare for that even though the trip was on the short side. But he will have gained experience from jumping at that pace," said trainer Willie Mullins.
Ruby Walsh added to his five-winner tally on Saturday as favourite Rare Ouzel led at the second last of the handicap chase and put 11 lengths between himself and Slow To Part.
Barry Geraghty and Tom Taaffe teamed up for the opening maiden hurdle and Code Of Rules rewarded the Kicking King team with a two-length defeat of Sizing America.
Morris and Tony McCoy were also represented in the two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle but the favourite Falkenauge could only manage fifth behind the 20 to 1 winner The Black Mouse.
Jockey Jason Fortune took advantage of the last hurdle fall of Aghacashel Angel to beat off Gazza's Girl.
With Nina Carberry on point-to-point duty, Jason McKeown stepped in for the ride on Noel Meade's newcomer Tango Jim in the bumper and the horse justified the trainer's high opinion of him.
"He's a very nice horse with loads of pace and he simply didn't know what to do when he hit the front. But he picks up well," said Meade. "He is in at Cheltenham but he is only four and we might stick to home territory."
