Nicky Henderson is hopeful that being patient with Riverside Theatre will pay dividends in Thursday's Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham.
The eight-year-old was a leading contender for the race last season only to be ruled out by a hairline fracture of his pelvis, an injury that kept him on the sidelines until last month.
Riverside Theatre made a victorious return to action when landing the Ascot Chase, and Henderson believes the two-mile-five-furlong trip is his optimum.
He said: "This is Riverside Theatre's trip, as he proved at Ascot, and we've been trying to get him here for two years.
"He had been off a long time and there wouldn't be a huge amount of improvement in him, but you'd think that there wouldn't need to be."
Albertas Run has won the race for the last two years and will bid for a hat-trick for trainer Jonjo O'Neill.
He held off the reopposing Kalahari King and Rubi Light in a thrilling finish in 2011, but has raced just once this term.
Although he won at Aintree back in October, big-race rider Tony McCoy admits Albertas Run has not been an easy ride to the Festival.
"He's 11 now and has been plenty hard to get right but Jonjo seems happy with him," he said.
"I hope he'll run very well but it's an open race.
"Noble Prince would have a bit more speed and the dry ground will help but Albertas Run is probably a little better stayer."
O'Neill added: "It has been slow progress with him since his last run but fingers crossed it's all gone according to plan.
"It just seems to be the right trip and AP gets on really well with him.
"He's come back from the dead, but hopefully he'll run well again."
Kalahari King has endured a similarly troubled campaign with just two outings this year.
The 11-year-old sustained a leg injury when pulled up behind Master Minded at Ascot last November but proved his wellbeing with a racecourse gallop at Doncaster at the start of the month.
