And after watching from afar aboard Regal Heights in the Aon Chase at Newbury last Saturday, he knows how stiff a task Kauto Star faces if he is to land back-to-back renewals of the Festival showpiece.

Walsh said: “They should go a real good gallop tomorrow and it will be a good race, but that’s why the sponsors put the money up.

“He jumped super in the King George and he has been very good the two times he has been to Haydock.

“He was good at Aintree this year so touch-wood he will jump the same again.

“He’s a wonderful horse and hopefully he can show his class tomorrow.

“It’s right-handed, and obviously I would prefer it if it was left-handed, but it is what it is and we will have to deal with it.

“I suppose Monet’s Garden is the main threat, we beat Racing Demon fair and square in the King George.

“If they hold their form I would imagine Monet’s will be the one to beat.

“I don’t know if Paul (Nicholls) has left as much to work on as he did with Denman, I was that far behind him last week I couldn’t see him blowing!”

Barring a major shock in Berkshire, the real test will be when Kauto Star comes up against Denman in the Gold Cup.

“Nobody knows which one is best until they run against each other, everybody has their opinion and that is what makes racing great,” Walsh told At The Races.

“What do you do when you are caught between two wonderful horses? You stick with the horse you have won a Gold Cup on.

“I don’t think Denman has to have it soft either, he won a two-mile beginners’ chase at Exeter against Penzance.

“He is not slow at all, people make him out to be slower than he is.

“They are two wonderful horses and I hope they both get to Cheltenham when we will see what happens.

“I hope one of them wins and I just hope it’s mine.”

Monet’s Garden became the first horse to beat Kauto Star in nearly two years at Aintree in November but he is 14lb worse off tomorrow.

“He’s in great form at the moment,” said his regular jockey Tony Dobbin.

“I popped him over a few fences the other morning and he’s absolutely bouncing. He likes to be fresh and he has had a nice break.

“Obviously it’s a tough task.

“I’m sure Kauto Star will be a different proposition to the one we beat at Aintree but he proved that he’s not unbeatable.”

Paul Moloney rides Racing Demon for the first time and is looking forward to the race.

Moloney said: “Of course it will be very difficult to beat Kauto Star, but my horse is good in his own right and I will just try and get him into a nice rhythm and see what happens.”

Howle Hill won a valuable pot at Doncaster last time for Alan King and still appears to be on the upgrade.

However, this is a major step up in class.

King said: “He has won us some nice prize money already and hopefully we can get a little more.

“I was hoping the race might have cut up even more than it has, but we’ll take our chance and see what happens.”