With a stable crammed full of top-level performers capable of making an impact across every National Hunt division, big things are once again expected of trainer Colin Tizzard.
Having saddled no fewer than nine Grade One winners last season, the pressure is on for the Milborne Port handler to maintain such high standards and raise the bar again.
While Thistlecrack and Native River are expected to play their part when returning later in the campaign, much of the early-season chatter surrounds exciting novice chaser Finian's Oscar.
The Grade One-winning hurdler could start off at Chepstow on Saturday, ground permitting.
"He came with a big reputation last year and has fulfilled that in spades. He is a beautiful horse. Robbie Power schooled him and you would have thought he was a handicap chaser," said Tizzard.
"He could easily end up as an Arkle horse, as he is not short of pace. There is the JLT at Cheltenham now, but the more prestigious race is the Arkle."
Although Thistlecrack was forced to miss the Cheltenham Gold Cup after sustaining a tendon injury, Tizzard is confident the multiple Grade One winner can return to the peak of his powers in time to defend his King George VI Chase crown at Kempton on Boxing Day
"He is cantering now and has been in for a couple of months, he came in early August," said Tizzard.
"He has had plenty of walking. He will have one race before the King George, that is our aim. We have got to decide what there is in that little block, it could be he goes over hurdles.
"It was a good performance in the King George, but we have come to expect that. "He was a World Hurdle winner with almost his head in his chest and as a novice expectations were high.
"He was a good horse in February and that setback won't make any difference at all."
WATCH: Tom Scudamore in tears after his wonderful King George success on Thistlecrack. A whirl of emotions after the thrill of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/913Q1egqrc
— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) December 26, 2016
One type of horse Tizzard has yet to really truly encounter is a genuine Champion Hurdle contender, but if all goes to plan Pingshou could be the one to fill that void.
"Last season was basically his first season racing and he got up to 150. We are going to see if we can turn him into a Champion Hurdle horse," said Tizzard.
"He will start off next month and he could go up to Newcastle for the Fighting Fifth. If he is not good enough we will turn round at Christmas and go novice chasing with him.
"He was good at Aintree last year and he only just got touched off at Punchestown."
Few horses in training have a public following like Cue Card and Tizzard feels he still has plenty of life left in him despite fast approaching his 12th birthday.
"He is ready and has been in a long time. I thought he needed the run a bit at Wetherby last year, but I am going to try to make sure he doesn't this time,"said Tizzard. "He is getting older and doesn't need to go there 95 per cent but right on the boil.
"For me, he is as good as he has ever been. We will probably go the Ascot Chase after Christmas, then to Cheltenham. Whether we go to the Gold Cup or the Ryanair will be decided later on."
Although Fox Norton proved no match for Altior on his return from injury at Newbury in February, the seven-year-old showed his true colours at Aintree and Punchestown, a haul Tizzard hopes he can add to this season.
"He will go the two-mile chase route, starting off with the Shloer Chase, then the Tingle Creek," said Tizzard, who will this year have Bryan Cooper riding the horses in his string owned by Alan Potts.
"He was brilliant at the end of last season at Aintree and Punchestown and was only beaten a nose in the Champion Chase.
"You have got to stay in the Champion Chase as they go hard and he has got some cracking form over two miles and we will be exploiting that route."
If there was an award for the bravest horse in training, then Native River would be a red-hot contender following wins in the Hennessy and Welsh National.
Although the seven-year-old is unlikely to be seen out before Christmas hopes are high he can be ready in time for a second shot at the Gold Cup.
Tizzard said: "He will start a bit later as he shook himself up in the Gold Cup. He will have one run before the Gold Cup and will probably go to Newbury for the race he won last year. We will campaign him in the second half of the season, when all the big money is about.
"Last season he won a Hennessy and a Welsh National and we had been to the well a few times and he was only beaten two lengths in a Gold Cup. If we can get him smack on for that again, we can then go on to Aintree and Punchestown afterwards."
Click on the image below to back Thistlecrack at 10/1 to complete the King George/Gold Cup double...
Rest of Tizzard string
"When we started racing him some of our horses weren't running well and he ran bad, there is no two ways about it. He ran quite well in the Ryanair and beat some good horses. We might just give him a hurdle race to get his confidence up. He was pretty rapid schooling over fences the other week. He seems and looks different now."
"He is a lovely, big horse. He finished seventh in the Albert Bartlett, coming round the home bend nearly in front. That was his best form of the season as Cheltenham is always the best form. He came second in a point-to-point before we had him and he looks like a chaser now. He was a bit of weak horse last year and achieved more than we expected. He is more of a stayer and has all the makings of a chaser."
"She is quite a nice filly and won a bumper in France first time out. We have schooled her and she jumps lovely. I think she will have one more bumper then as she is a three-year-old she could go down the Triumph Hurdle route. There is a Listed juvenile hurdle at Aintree in December and that is something we are thinking about."
"He won his first two bumpers then he was sent off nearly favourite for the Champion Bumper. He is one I've had from Jessica (Harrington). He cantered around for a fortnight and I couldn't find anything wrong with him. Because his form was moderate we cauterized his palate. He jumps well and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't go straight over fences."
"He is a horse that has always been delicate. He won last year, then he wasn't right. Robbie Power schooled him over fences and he will start off at the first Aintree meeting and then he will go to the Ladbrokes Trophy. He could be a National horse."
"He was lucky to get his Grade One and we were delighted he was going to finish second behind Might Bite as it was a decent race. He suffered badly last year with sore shins. When we put the tongue tie on it meant he had a small wind problem. We sorted his shins and cauterized his palate. He is likely to have one run then will go for the Ladbrokes Trophy."
"He finally found his lease of life under Robbie Power. He organised him like no other jockey has. He was absolutely brilliant on him and made him the horse he is. He is rated 160 so I am not really sure where we go. Does it mean he is a Ladbrokes Gold Cup horse or open class? I suspect he will end up going for the Ladbrokes Trophy. He has only got to go up 7lb and he is a Gold Cup horse."
"He was quite good as two-miler as a youngster, but he doesn't look like one on the gallops. He travelled so well at Punchestown that he could drop back to two. We will start him off between two and two and half, and just see if Punchestown was a fluke, but I don't think it will be. He looks good all the time at the moment."
"He came with a reputation that he was a 137 horse that couldn't breathe and had wind problems. He has had a wind operation and is back cantering now. If he was 137 with the noise he was making you would think there is massive improvement in him. You would be hopeful he can be competitive off that mark and we have every hope he could be half-decent."
"He was bought as a three-mile plus chaser, but he didn't win for us until he was dropped back to two miles and then he won the Topham at Aintree staying on. We are going to take him back there in the November meeting for the Becher and he will have a prep race before. We bought him to be a Grand National horse and perhaps after all this time he is going to be a stayer."
"He has got a handicap mark of 157 and I suppose he ran to that mark a couple of times last season. In his last two runs something wasn't right and he has just had the summer off. He will go novice chasing now. We will try and make him into a three-mile novice chaser. We tried making him into a staying hurdler last year and maybe he wasn't ready and if he doesn't take to fences we could look at that."
"He was bought out of Ireland. He won his latest point-to-point by 15 lengths and the second in that race has since won by 18 lengths. He is a big boy and could be anything. He works really nice - I'd say he is the one that has been exciting us more than anything else in the last month."
