Johnson is ready to call time on his star stayer Inglis

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The trainer is expected to announce the 10-year-old's retirement today after examining scans on a hock injury suffered in November.

The 2005, 2007 and 2008 World Hurdle winner was pulled up in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November and while Johnson doesn't want Inglis Drever to go out of the game with a whimper, he would find it hard to suffer his champion being heckled at his favourite racecourse.

Johnson said: "I think we'll maybe pull stumps. I don't want him being pulled up at Cheltenham and getting booed off the racecourse."

Meanwhile, the pair at the top of the pecking order to take over the staying hurdle mantle from Inglis Drever are set to clash in the Cleeve Hurdle on Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham a week on Saturday.

Punchestowns and Kasbah Bliss head the betting for the World Hurdle but a mouthwatering rehearsal is set to be played out almost seven weeks before the main event.

Punchestowns is the 2-1 favourite for the World Hurdle with the sponsors and trainer Nicky Henderson confirmed yesterday that his six-year-old will line up in the Cleeve Hurdle while Francois Doumen is keen to run 100-30 chance Kasbah Bliss.

Doumen told the Racing Post: "I don't want to give him more than one race before Cheltenham, so I should be able to find one somewhere. We could look at the Cleeve Hurdle.

"The horse has improved since last year and has become a real adult. Hopefully we are going to go to the World Hurdle with a chance, but the ground is important.

"I saw Punchestowns win on what was soft ground, but everyone knows my horse is better on fast or good ground."