COLIN Tizzard has just started to step Cue Card’s regime up a gear as the 10-year-old prepares to bid for a £1million bonus in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Entries were released on Wednesday for the blue riband, backed by technology firm Timico for the first time, with Willie Mullins dominating the landscape.

Ireland’s champion trainer has eight of the 32 possibles, including last year’s runner-up Djakadam, with last season’s RSA winner Don Poli a very strong second-string, according to the bookmakers.

While plenty of water needs to pass under the bridge before the race, King George second Vautour, a winner at the last two Festivals, is also in the mix along with Sir Des Champs, the 2013 Gold Cup runner-up.

Boston Bob, Valseur Lido, 2014 runner-up On His Own and Ballycasey could also line up for Mullins.

But standing in his way is a rejuvenated Cue Card, who showed he was no back number when winning the Charlie Hall on his reappearance and took his form to a new level when slamming Silviniaco Conti in the Betfair Chase and reeling in Vautour at Kempton.

Those two races form the first two legs of the bonus on offer from Jockey Club Racecourses if he can top it off in the Gold Cup “You don’t want to be dawdling around with them now, a couple of frosty weeks and suddenly we are there,” said Tizzard on At The Races.

“His work will be building up now, he’ll be going faster, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, he’ll go back doing that now, we’ll up the pace, rather than do more (work).

“We all thought last year there was something bothering him and he wasn’t the horse he is this year.

“People thought he had gone but whatever it is this year — the wind op, but he’d had that before his last two runs last season, so it wasn’t immediate action — he’s come back in a healthier horse this year.

“It’s brilliant he’s come back as a 10-year-old as good as he is.”