Alex Ferguson's Protektorat represents, once again, the Scot's best chance of tasting glory in Cheltenham's biggest race.
Last year the toast of the festival, Rachel Blackmore completed an incredible week by securing the Gold Cup in style on board A Plus Tard.
Mayo businessman Barry Maloney will be looking to get back in the winner's circle with Minella Indo, who this year has dropped down the bookies' pecking order.
The Gold Cup is seen as the most prestigious of all National Hunt races on the racing calendar, making it a dream win for all horse racing owners, including Alex Ferguson.
The former Manchester United manager retired from one sport ten years ago, but throughout his career with the Red Devils he had been building a path into another.
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His teams were often seen together at the races, but the Scot, who got his love for horses from his father who enjoyed a bet at the weekends, was clearly more than just an interested bystander at the track.
A close relationship with Irish racing royalty JP McManus and John Magnier went south in 2004, and some would say United's current owners only managed to buy the club thanks to a horse.
Rock of Gibraltar gave Ferguson a taste of the good time at the track, but his ownership rights led to the breakdown of Fergie's relationship with the Irish racing duo and an £800m takeover of the Old Trafford club.
Nineteen years after that very public argument, Ferguson is eyeing Gold Cup glory with Protektorat and his chance to write his name into sporting history once again.
The horse is co-owned by Ferguson, entrepreneur Ged Mason, a lifelong United fan and CEO of Morson International, and John and Lisa Hales.
Protektorat was part of Ferguson's "best day" in racing when he completed the first part of a Grade 1 Grand National treble along with Monmiral and Clan Des Obeaux at Aintree in 2021.
Trainer Dan Skelton last year related to Sky Sports: "Protektorat looks fantastic and I'm very, very happy with him. I don't know how he compares to the very top Grade One chasers, as we haven't taken them on. All you can take is what you saw at Aintree and I don't think that was a fluke."
Those comments were backed up with a third-place finish in the 2022 Gold Cup, coming in behind Rachel Blackmore's winner and Robbie Power on board Minella Indo.
Ged Mason, one of Protektorat's owners, recently told SportLife: "A Cheltenham Gold Cup first is on every owner’s bucket list. It is the Holy Grail and it would be worth celebrating in style. It would be fantastic if Protektorat could do it for us"
Leading the betting market for the Gold Cup are favourite Galopin Des Champs, owned by Audrey Turley, and Bravemansgame, owned by John Dance and Bryan Drew.
MORNING PRICES
Galopin Des Champs 13/8
A Plus Tard 9/2
Bravemansgame 13/2
Stattler 8/2
Noble Yeats 14/1
Minella Indo 18/1
Protektorat 22/1
