Last season's Triumph Hurdle winner Peace And Co heads the weights on 11st 12lb for the £155,000 Betfair Hurdle at Newbury on February 13.
The Nicky Henderson-trained five-year-old will attempt to redeem his reputation in the StanJames.com Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock on Saturday after flopping on his reappearance in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The Paul Nicholls-traind Modus, who has been given 10st 6lb, heads the ante-post market at 7-1 with the sponsors.
Among others prominent in the betting are Willie Mullins' Kalkir (11st) and Gordon Elliott's Desoto County (10st 4lb), who were second and third respectively in the Coral.ie Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Irish trainers have a particularly strong hand that also includes Mullins' Sempre Medici (11st 10lb) and Renneti (11st 6lb), Noel Meade's Waxies Dargle (10st 9lb) and Tony Martin's Whatsforuwontgobyu (10st).
Sparsholt handler Harry Whittington intends to run his French import Affaire D'Honneur (9st 13lb). The lightly-raced five-year-old made a pleasing British debut when only beaten a length by Zulu Oscar in a Kempton handicap hurdle last month.
Whittington said: "The plan is for Affair D'Honneur to go for the Betfair Hurdle.
"I was very pleased with his performance at Kempton over Christmas. We thought he would run very well as he had been showing us the right signs at home and felt he was well-handicapped.
"Obviously, the Betfair Hurdle will be a bigger test for him but he seems to be improving. The plan will be to go straight to Newbury and keep him fresh.
"I think he would go on any ground. We thought at first he was probably a good ground horse and maybe that would be against him at Kempton but Gavin (Sheehan) said after that race that he would probably go on softer ground. He seems to have that bit of class.
"Affaire D'Honneur has speed and class so we will give it a go and see what happens."
Betfair media spokesman Barry Orr said: "Modus has been really well backed since we first offered this race and is now 7-1 from an initial 12-1 to give Paul Nicholls another victory in the UK's richest handicap hurdle.
"It looks like there will be a strong Irish contingent this year with Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott leading the charge."