Add John Murphy's Champion Chaser Newmill and that gallant mare Asian Maze to the mix and you have a race to gladden the hearts of every National Hunt enthusiast. Brave Inca is one of the toughest and most consistent two mile hurdlers we have seen in recent years, but regrettably he is without the services of regular pilot Tony McCoy on this occasion.

The jockey is required to fulfil his riding obligations at Aintree, but trainer Colm Murphy wasn't too worried about the prospect of McCoy's absence during the week. "Cheltenham next March is still a long way off, " he said, but nevertheless wasted little time in booking Barry Geraghty to ride the eight-year-old.

Geraghty rode Mac's Joy to victory over Brave Inca in the ACC Bank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown in April and said of Murphy's charge "I know how tough he is, having come up against him in many great battles, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to sit on him."

The trainer reports Brave Inca to be in "great form" ahead of his seasonal reappearance, and added "He always runs a big race at Punchestown, and this race fits in perfectly with his schedule for the season. It looks like being a tough contest, but my fellow loves a battle and I'm looking forward to seeing him back in action."

Asian Maze, from the Tom Mullins yard, is another with a liking for Punchestown, and her record stands at four wins from four over distances ranging from two to three miles. Newmill finished fourth to Brave Inca in this race last year and got the goahead after his trainer walked the course on Friday.

Brave Inca has tended to need his first outing of the season in previous years, but Iktitaf, another course and distance winner, will have the edge on race fitness. Paul Carberry's mount was a very smooth winner of the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival, and he continued that progression with success on the flat in the Irish Cesarewitch, followed by two easy victories over hurdles.

Iktitaf comes from a stable that is bang in form, and although the five-year-old faces his stiffest task to date, with several recent races under his belt he holds more appeal than Brave Inca.