Kasbah Bliss can make it third time lucky by winning the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham.

With three runners in the field officially rated at 170 or more, this is a genuine championship contest and the French raider can add more Cheltenham silverware to his trainer Francois Doumen's collection.

Doumen, 68, almost single-handedly broke into the Anglo-Irish party when The Fellow took the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1994.

That was the start of Doumen's love affair with the Festival, which has since seen him bag a brace of World Hurdles with Baracouda among other prestigious big-race prizes.

Kasbah Bliss has finished fifth and second in the two most recent renewals of the World Hurdle but Doumen (right) feels the seven-year-old is a much stronger horse this time around.

The classy son of Kahyasi warmed up for this season's jumps campaign with an impressive Flat victory in the Group 3 Prix Gladiateur at Longchamp last September, before proving his wellbeing with a spectacular victory in last month's valuable Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock.

Christophe Pieux's mount has twice finished behind Inglis Drever in this three-mile contest but, with Howard Johnson's three-time champion now retired, Kasbah Bliss can finally emulate former Chantilly stablemate Baracouda.

French jockeys have often been criticised by the British racing media but few are prepared to say a bad word about Pieux, 29, whose lengthy and successful career across the Channel, where he won 15 consecutive champion jockey titles, merits huge respect.

Doumen admits that the forecast rain for Cheltenham is a concern for Kasbah Bliss but remains confident that he will handle soft ground better this time than he did last year.

Despite being the red-hot favourite to take the bookmaker-sponsored prize-money, Kasbah Bliss doesn't go into the race as the highest rated - that distinction belongs to Punchestowns.

Nicky Henderson's six-year-old was made ante-post favourite for tomorrow's contest following impressive victories at Cheltenham and Ascot before Christmas.

However, he met with defeat in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham in January when failing by four lengths to concede 8lb to Big Buck's.

Henderson felt that the heavy ground had been Punchestowns' undoing, therefore any further rain would be a blow to his chances.

Conversely, Big Buck's appeared to relish the ground and quickened up in the style of a quality hurdler.

Ironically, when the season started Paul Nicholls was of the opinion that Big Buck's could be a Cheltenham Gold Cup contender. But, having fallen in the Hennessy at Newbury, the champion trainer decided to give him a race over hurdles to "rekindle his confidence".

Two big-race wins later and a return to chasing is very much on the back burner.

Nicholls also runs Mobaasher and he intends to play what he describes as his "joker", by fitting blinkers to the Rahy gelding for the first time.

This can often bring about a significant improvement in a horse and Christian Williams' mount looks to save his best for this track, having made the frame at the last two Festivals - and at 25-1 could be good each-way value.

Another who ran into a place at the 2008 Festival is Fair Along, who took third spot behind Master Minded in the Champion Chase.

Philip Hobbs' gelding has relished stepping up in trip this season and has gone in twice at Cheltenham over three miles and three miles two furlongs respectively. A hat-trick bid was thwarted by Big Buck's and, despite a 4lb pull, it is hard to see the tables being turned.

A scan through the formbook shows that Kasbah Bliss's second in the race last year is the best form any of the 14 runners can boast and, having put up such an impressive display at Haydock, Doumen's stayer can prove a worthy successor to Inglis Drever.