Arctic Fire© Photo Healy Racing
Arctic Fire is the sole Irish representative in a field of six for the StanJames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on Saturday.
The Willie Mullins-trained gelding was runner-up to Little King Robin in the Grade Two WKD Hurdle at Down Royal on his reappearance earlier this month.
Irving heads the home challenge in the Grade One event over two miles.
The six-year-old, trained by Paul Nicholls, gets the chance to atone for his last flight fall in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton when very much in contention in the race won by Purple Bay.
The latter was taken out of the Gosforth Park feature at the 48-hour final declaration stage.
However, his trainer John Ferguson will be represented instead by Sea Lord. A prolific winner in the summer of 2013, the seven-year-old was last seen finishing sixth behind Irving's stablemate Lac Fontana in the Grade One Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree in April.
North Yorkshire trainer John Quinn took this prize two years ago with Countrywide Flame and pins his hopes on Aurore D'Estruval. The lightly-raced four-year-old filly booked her place with victory in the Listed Mares' Hurdle at Wetherby four weeks ago.
Completing the line-up are Richard Ford's Swaledale Lad and Volcanic Jack, trained by Michael Chapman.
As well as Purple Bay, the only other withdrawal was Sign Of A Victory, who would have been Irving's main market rival following his emphatic victory at Ascot.
Connections had expressed concerns earlier in the week about the ground being too soft for the Nicky Henderson-trained five-year-old.
