Inglis Drever will face eight rivals when he bids to secure victory in the British Horseracing Board’s inaugural Order Of Merit series at Aintree on Saturday.
The six-year-old landed the three-mile Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham last month, but tackles two and a half miles in the Scottish And Newcastle Aintree Hurdle with a £250,000 bonus within the grasp of trainer Howard Johnson and owner Graham Wylie.
Conversely, six horses that ran in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham step up in trip, headed by third-placed Brave Inca.
Accordion Etoile (fourth), Macs Joy (fifth), Intersky Falcon (sixth), Al Eile (seventh) and Rooster Booster (eighth) also take their chance.
The field is completed by Francois Doumen’s French raider Blue Canyon and the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Exotic Dancer.