COLIN Tizzard’s Slate House is among the outside contenders for the Racing Post Challenge Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival today (2.10pm).

Lalor and Glen Forsa feature in a field of 12 runners with Kayley Woollacott’s Lalor leaping to the head of the betting for the two-mile Grade One with a brilliant display at Prestbury Park in November, but returns with questions to answer after suffering an odds-on reverse in testing ground at Sandown the following month.

The Mick Channon-trained Glen Forsa, on the other hand, lines up at the top of his game after three successive wins – completing his hat-trick with a wide-margin success over Kalashnikov – also in the Arkle line-up – in the rescheduled Kingmaker Novices’ Chase.

A strong Irish challenge includes the Willie Mullins-trained Duc De Genievres, Gordon Elliott’s Hardline, Terence O’Brien’s Articulum, Henry de Bromhead’s pair of Ornua and Paloma Blue and Us And Them for Joseph O’Brien.

Clondaw Castle (Tom George) and Knocknanuss (Gary Moore) are the other hopefuls.

Tizzard also had high hopes for Elixir De Nutz in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – the first race of this year’s festival - until his contender was made a non-runner after being declared lame yesterday evening.

Tizzard's son and assistant trainer, Joe, said: "Unfortunately Elixir De Nutz won't be running in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle as he's lame."