Cyrname is one of 20 entries for the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on Saturday.
The Paul Nicholls-trained eight-year-old is the highest-rated chaser in Britain, having beaten Altior in a highly-anticipated clash on his seasonal reappearance at Ascot last November.
He was subsequently well beaten by stable companion Clan Des Obeaux when a hot favourite for the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, before suffering a heavy fall at the final fence when last seen defending his crown in the Ascot Chase in February.
Nicholls was initially keen on the idea of sending Cyrname to Down Royal for this weekend’s Ladbrokes Champion Chase, but restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic have prompted a change of plan.
The 176-rated chaser has also been entered for Saturday’s Sodexo Gold Cup at Ascot, but is widely expected to head for Wetherby, where he could be joined by stable companion Black Corton.
The last two winners of the Charlie Hall in the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Ballyoptic and Brian Ellison’s Definitly Red are in the mix once again, while leading Irish trainer Gordon Elliott has a trio of contenders in Alpha Des Obeaux, Shattered Love and The Storyteller.
Kim Bailey is hoping Vinndication can make up into a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender. He impressed when taking a valuable handicap at Ascot in November and ran a big race under top weight in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham Festival when last seen, finishing a close fourth.
Bailey, who sent out Harry Topper to land the spoils in 2013, said: "I have been very happy with Vinndication's progress and he is ready to go to Wetherby.
"He also has an entry in the handicap he won at Ascot last year, but it's just a question of looking and seeing really. We did the same last year.
"He looks really well and I hope he can take another step forward this season. This weekend should tell us more."
Other contenders include Warren Greatrex’s pair of Keeper Hill and La Bague Au Roi, Nicky Henderson’s Might Bite, the Colin Tizzard-trained Slate House and Jedd O’Keeffe’s stable star Sam Spinner.
