Jumping Star's team prepare to double up

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Walsh is expected to travel from Ireland to trainer Paul Nicholls' yard in Somerset to pop the seven-year-old over a few fences.

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Aintree return: Nicholls

Nicholls said: "He has not had a school yet, but Ruby will come and sit on him in the next fortnight."

Nicholls plans to run him in fewer than the six chases he contested last season with Sandown's Tingle Creek ruled out this time.

Kauto Star, who completed the rare double of the King George and the Gold Cup in the same season, will begin, as last year, by running at Aintree in which he would be expected to give 20lb to talented rivals such as Monet's Garden and My Way de Solzen.

He will also attempt to earn Betfair's £1 million bonus again by winning the Betfair Chase at Haydock on November 24, the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day and the Gold Cup, but he will not take on stablemate Denman, winner of the Royal & SunAlliance Chase last season, until the Gold Cup.

Nicholls said: "It was an incredible achievement by all the staff for these two horses to have won 11 races and stay unbeaten last season.

"Kauto Star looks fabulous. He faces a very stiff task in the handicap a fortnight on Sunday. But the race fits in with his programme with a month to Haydock and a month to Kempton.

"Denman is a lot heavier and stronger this year and harder to get fit. But I want to get him to the Charlie Hall Chase (at Wetherby), ground permitting. It will be quite hard to have him at his best first time out.

"He could then go for the Hennessy and the obvious race for him at Christmas is the Lexus Chase (at Leopardstown).

"It would be daft to run him against Kauto Star until the Gold Cup. You'll know which is preferred when Ruby (Walsh) decides what he's riding."

Three Nicholls-trained newcomers to look out for in the coming weeks are Celestial Halo, seventh to Lucarno in the St Leger, Shamari, who won three Flat races in France, and Hivikos, a scopey French import.