Chacun Pour Soi will face nine rivals in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Willie Mullins’s odds-on favourite missed the race after a late setback 12 months ago – as did Altior, and unfortunately the same fate has befallen Nicky Henderson’s star again with an unsatisfactory scope the reason he misses out this year.
Chacun Pour Soi has yet to run at Cheltenham but has been ultra-impressive in everything he has done this season. Mullins has also declared Cilaos Emery.
Chacun Pour Soi's jockey Paul Townend is confident Cheltenham will suit the lightly-raced nine-year-old despite doubts expressed by others on that score.
“I can’t find a fault in him that Cheltenham will expose,” Townend told Racing TV. “I’m just really looking forward to him and hopefully we can get him to the start this year.”
Mullins offered his sympathy to Henderson, having gone through the same emotions plenty of times himself.
"I'm sorry to hear Altior is out for Nicky Henderson, " he said. "Chacun is in good order, so hopefully we don't have any mishaps like last year."
In Altior’s absence, Chacun Pour Soi’s main danger on Wednesday may be Dan Skelton’s Nube Negra, who beat Altior comprehensively at Kempton over Christmas.
Defending champion Politologue will also put up a fight for Paul Nicholls, with the grey looking to add his name to an elite list of multiple winners. Nicholls also runs Greaneteen.
First Flow gained a first Grade One victory last time out when beating Politologue. He represents Kim Bailey, who will have been pleased to see Sunday evening's rain, which has turned the Cheltenham ground soft.
Last year’s Arkle winner Put The Kettle On and Notebook run for Henry de Bromhead, while Harry Whittington’s Rouge Vif completes the field.
