Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo heads the entries for this year's renewal

Al Boum Photo and Paul Townend winning the 2019 Gold Cup | Getty

Al Boum Photo provided Ireland’s champion trainer Willie Mullins with a first success in the Grade 1 Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2019 and the eight-year-old heads 20 acceptors for the feature race on day four of The Festival.

His rivals in chasing’s blue riband are set to be headed by Santini (Nicky Henderson), who comfortably accounted for Bristol De Mai (Nigel Twiston-Davies) in the Grade 2 Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day.

Delta Work (Gordon Elliott IRE) finished third in the Grade 1 RSA Novices’ Chase at The Festival in 2019 but the seven-year-old will return to Cheltenham on the back of two Grade 1 victories at Leopardstown this term.

The 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Native River (Colin Tizzard) will be bidding to emulate the mighty Kauto Star and become only the second horse to regain the chasing crown.

Tizzard has also left in Grade 1 Betfair Chase winner Lostintranslation, while Kauto Star’s trainer Paul Nicholls has engaged dual Ladbrokes Grade 1 King George VI Chase victor Clan Des Obeaux as he seeks a record-equalling fifth success in the race.