Trainer Alan Fleming expects Chain Gang to make his presence felt in the Nathaniel Lacy & Partners Solicitors Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.
The winner of a bumper at the Listowel Festival before finishing third behind the high-class Tombstone at Down Royal, Chain Gang made a successful start to his jumping career with a determined display at this track over Christmas.
Fleming admits his five-year-old has more on his plate stepped up to Grade Two level this weekend, but is anticipating a bold show.
"He's a course and distance winner and a good, tough horse. I think he's improved a bit since the last day and I'm hoping he'll be there or thereabouts," said the Curragh-based trainer.
"He's one of a few horses that have won their maidens and now they're stepping up, so we'll find out how good they are.
"It's a step up for them all, but I wouldn't swap my horse."
Willie Mullins has saddled the last four winners of this Grade Two event, with Boston Bob, Pont Alexandre, Sure Reef and Outlander all claiming victory.
This year the champion trainer relies on A Toi Phil, who made an inauspicious start to his career in Ireland when running out and unseating his rider at Clonmel before making amends when winning in good style at Leopardstown just four days later.
The trainer's son, Patrick, was on board for both of those starts, but is replaced by Gigginstown House Stud's retained rider Bryan Cooper this weekend.
Mullins junior said: "He's a horse with a lot of ability, but he has his quirks as well, as we saw in Clonmel.
"To be fair to him, he followed the horse in front that day and ran off the bend, and there no sign of that in Leopardstown going in the other direction.
"I think he should improve a bit from that run and his work at home has been good.
"Outlander beat three Cheltenham winners in Martello Tower, Killultagh Vic and Windsor Park in this race last year, which was some effort.
"Hopefully this horse can go and win it as well. I think he's well up to this standard ability-wise, anyway."
The Stuart Crawford-trained Chitu won a Perth bumper last summer and returned to Scotland to make a winning hurdling debut at Musselburgh in November.
Crawford said: "There aren't a lot of opportunities for him so we'll let him take his chance.
"He's really a horse for the drier ground, but we're not going to get that for a couple of months at least, by the looks of it, and he's fit and well and ready to run.
"It's a small field and if he can pick up prize-money we'll be delighted. Then we can keep our powder dry for the spring."
The Jessica Harrington-trained Woodland Opera enjoys a slight drop in class after seemingly having his limitations exposed in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle over Christmas, while Acapella Bourgeois was another winner at the track's Christmas Festival for Sandra Hughes.
Cardinal Palace from James Nash's stable completes the field.