Identity Thief © Photo Healy Racing
Wicklow Brave and Identity Thief have been supplemented for the StanJames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle at the confirmation stage.
The inclusion of the Irish-trained pair takes the number of possible runners for the Grade One feature at Newcastle on Saturday to 11.
Identity Thief is a lightly-raced five-year-old from Henry de Bromhead's stable and carries the Gigginstown House Stud colours.
He showed he was a progressive when winning the Grade Two WKD Hurdle at Down Royal last month on his first run since April.
Wicklow Brave has been kept on the go all year by Willie Mullins, both on the Flat and over jumps, but shows no signs of slowing down and was a fine third behind stablemate Nichols Canyon in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown Hurdle earlier this month.
Mullins has also left in Arctic Fire, who made a winning reappearance in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan two weeks ago.
Nicky Henderson is keeping his options open by confirming Hargam, Sign Of A Victory and Top Notch.
The latter ran for the first time since finishing second to stablemate Peace And Co in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham when giving Irving a good run for his money at Haydock last Saturday.
"Top Notch ran really well at Haydock at the weekend. We were very pleased with him," said the Seven Barrows trainer.
"I've left him in the Fighting Fifth as it if came up very soft, we would think about having a go.
"I've also got Hargam and Sign Of A Victory in there so anything could happen at this stage.
"If he (Top Notch) doesn't go to Newcastle, we will probably step him up a bit further. Top Notch wouldn't run unless it came up very soft."
Paul Nicholls could run Irving for the third time this month as he also landed the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton.
John Ferguson is doubly-represented with Commissioned and Purple Bay, with the Karl Burke-trained Intense Tango and Robert Stephens' Beltor completing the list.
Beltor had trainer Stephens purring when emphatically winning the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton last season and the four-year-old remains on course for a tilt at the Grade One prize this weekend.
He struggled to show his best form in the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, but the son of Authorized pulled five lengths clear of subsequent Grade One winner All Yours at the Surrey track in February and is open to more improvement.
Stephens said: "The plan is to run at Newcastle on Saturday and he's in good form at home. I'd like to think he's improved again over the summer and we'll learn a lot in regards to whether we have a genuine Champion Hurdle horse on our hands."
