NATIVE River, the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, is on target to contest the Grade Two Betfair Denman Chase, in which he will be trying to win the race for the third year running, at Newbury on Saturday.

Trainer Colin Tizzard is keen to follow the same route he took with his stable star a year ago when Native River, already the only horse to win the contest twice, became the fourth horse to win the Denman Chase and Gold Cup in the same year.

Native River was one of 10 entries made on Monday for the 3m chase, in which a clash with the Paul Nicholls-trained Clan des Obeaux, the winner of the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day in which Native River was third, and Coneygree, winner of the Denman Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2015, could be on the cards.

The Betfair Denman Chase is one of the feature races of Betfair Super Saturday, an afternoon of top class racing which also includes the Grade Two Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase and £155,000 Betfair Hurdle, the richest handicap hurdle run in Britain, for which there were 23 confirmations.

Native River has run twice since winning the Gold Cup last March, finishing second in the Betfair Chase at Haydock and third in the 32Red King George VI Chase in which he was beaten 13 ½ lengths by Clan des Obeaux.

His trainer expects him to be more at home at Newbury, where he is unbeaten in four runs over fences. His only defeat at the track was in the 2014 Challow Hurdle.

He said: “At Kempton he jumped out to the left. That’s twice he has been there, and he hasn’t been at ease.

“He stayed on well at Kempton, that’s all we can take out of the race. I think he is almost unbeaten at Newbury, so this was always going to be our prep race.

“I think the King George winner is going there as well. But this is our prep race for the Gold Cup.”

The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Al Dancer has heads the market for the Betfair Hurdle, having won three times already this season, most recently in handicap company at Cheltenham, for which he was put up 12lb.

Paul Nicholls’ Getaway Trump, another novice, arguably brings stronger form to the table on Saturday – having chased home Champ in the Grade One Challow Hurdle last time out.

Other contenders include Monsieur Lecoq and Countister.