Star stayer Order Of St George faces just two opponents on his seasonal reappearance in the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan on Sunday.
The 2016 Gold Cup hero came within a short head of successfully defending his crown at Royal Ascot last summer, going down to Big Orange in one of the races of the season.
He went on to win his second Irish St Leger and rounded off his campaign by landing the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day at Ascot.
The six-year-old is likely to start at prohibitive odds to make a successful comeback in this one-mile-six-furlong Group Three, but he did suffer an odds-on reverse in the same race 12 months ago.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien said: "He's in good form. He's just ready to start back and we're happy with him. We're hoping he runs a nice race."
Order Of St George is taken on by the Jim Bolger-trained Clongowes and Jedd O'Keeffe's British challenger Lord Yeats.
The latter won a lucrative York handicap and a Listed prize at Newmarket in the first half of 2017, but was no match for Order Of St George when fifth in the Irish St Leger when last seen.
"It looks a great starting point," said O'Keeffe.
"There are only three runners, so he's guaranteed to get Group Three-placed and we couldn't pass up the opportunity. It's a bit of a no-lose situation.
"We obviously have a lot to do to reverse the form with Order Of St George and we're not going there expecting to win, but he's in great shape, he'll love the ground and I'm hoping he'll run a decent race."