Francois Doumen stands alone from his compatriots in his passion for the thrill of a Cheltenham Festival winner.

While the Irish racing fans and their horses stream across the sea in their thousands for four magical days, French trainer Doumen, by contrast, cuts a solitary figure making his way from his picturesque Chantilly base.

His visits are not just social though. Far from it.

Since 1987 Doumen has raided the most prestigious prizes in the British National Hunt calendar, including six Festival wins and five King George VI Chase victories at Kempton.

The Fellow's success in the 1994 Gold Cup was the first of the 68-year-old's Festival wins, and his strong team heading for Cheltenham next week is headed by Kasbah Bliss - the sponsor's 11-10 favourite for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle in the wake of a spectacular return to action at Haydock recently. "Every win at Cheltenham is so hard to get. The course is so wide and huge and the hill is hard to get up," said Doumen.

The hill did not stop Doumen taking back-to-back World Hurdles in 2002-03 with Baracouda, but the trainer cannot compare him with Kasbah Bliss, the shortest-priced ante-post favourite at the Festival apart from Master Minded.

Doumen said: "We all loved Baracouda, but he was moody and pulling faces all the time. You can't compare him with Kasbah Bliss. He has always been very cheerful and is the only one in the yard who is whinnying and jumpy.

"In height he is not a big horse but he is strong enough and he is stronger than last year."

Kasbah Bliss will be having his third crack at the three-mile World Hurdle a week on Thursday, having finished fifth in 2007 and a length behind three-time winner Inglis Drever last year.

Doumen added: "Kasbah Bliss stopped after Cheltenham and had a break until August, when he started to run on the Flat. It has always been the target to go to Cheltenham and he runs well fresh - he doesn't need two or three comeback races. His Flat quality cannot be ignored and that will help him go up the hill."

That quality could enable the seven-year-old son of Epsom Derby winner Kahyasi to take his place in the Ascot Gold Cup this summer, with Doumen harbouring ambitions of a Cheltenham Festival-Royal Ascot double.

He said: "He will run in the Ascot Gold Cup. That will be my first runner there and the faster the ground the better."

Doumen respects Punchestowns and Big Buck's, the main opposition in the World Hurdle, but believes the biggest threat could come from up above.

He said: "Soft ground won't stop him but I think he is a good stone better on good ground. He is getting older and stronger though, so is coping better with different ground."

Christophe Pieux will again be aboard in the World Hurdle and with Inglis Drever now retired the path is clear for a new staying star to be crowned.

Doumen added: "Last year he came there in a bit of a rush and hit the last jump but a length is a length."

If a length is all that is required, Doumen will not be cutting such a solitary figure back to Chantilly clutching his seventh Cheltenham Festival trophy under his arm.