Sizing Europe, winner of last season’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, is the one they all have to beat in Saturday’s Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, a race that has attracted a quality field of nine (Sizing Europe 7/4).

Henry de Bromhead’s high-class chaser is officially rated 8lbs superior to the next highest rated horse in the field Tataniano, so on the face of it should be hard to stop if running close to his best.

De Bromhead says they have been trying to keep the favourite fresh after his most recent run at Down Royal, talking up the chances of the nine-year-old.

“The Tingle Creek is the plan at the moment. He seems in good form and we’re going to give it a go,” De Bromhead told At The Races.

“It was obviously a tough race at Down Royal, but he seems in good form since so we’re happy to let him take his chance.

Sandown is a notoriously tricky track with the ‘Railway Fences’ often proving a barrier to even the best horses, and it might well be that the biggest danger to the favourite could well prove to be the unexposed Kauto Stone, a half-brother to Kauto Star, who made a stunning debut for Paul Nicholls when romping away with a Grade 2 chase at Down Royal last month.

With Nicholls having had the winner of the last four Tingle Creek Chases he will be hoping 6/1 shot Kauto Stone will be able to make it five in a row this weekend.