Irishman needs luck but he's in there fighting

That may be an unusual build-up, but Fleming, 33, is shrewdly keeping his options open. "If Starluck flops in the Champion Hurdle, you would probably go down the Flat route with him. The Lincoln Handicap wouldn't be out of his grasp really, with a bit of cut in the ground," says Fleming.

However, it is more likely that he will stay jumping, with the Punchestown Festival ringed on the calendar. Fleming added: "That run at Kempton was his last piece of real work. I thought he'd come home well but I wasn't expecting him to impress me as he did. Liam Keniry rode him perfectly, he always seems to be at the right place at the right time."

The same can be said for Fleming, who answered an advert in the Racing Post once it dawned on him that Ireland's Flat headquarters might not be the best place to train jumpers.

"I didn't expect anything much but when I saw this place and I knew it was special, a place I wanted to be," said Fleming.

"Nothing much has changed since Terry Casey trained Rough Quest here. We've got a seven-and-a-half furlong Polytrack gallop and the grass gallops at nearby Box Hill are superb."

Starluck, the best horse in the trainer's 15-strong yard, was fourth in last year's Triumph Hurdle and barely came off the bridle for big-race jockey Timmy Murphy when winning a valuable handicap on his seasonal debut on fast ground at Cheltenham in October.

He was beaten a whisker by Champion Hurdle favourite Go Native in the Grade One Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on unfavourably soft ground, erasing any doubt that he could take on the best of the elder generation.

Fleming said: "I was really happy with him. He tried and really put his head down and I knew then that he'd improved.

"I was nervous running him because he looked as though he was on a nice handicap mark but he proved he can mix it with those good horses."

Even though Starluck acquitted himself smartly, Fleming is well aware that five-year-old's hardly ever win the Champion Hurdle — though the Nicky Henderson-trained Zaynar goes into tomorrow's race fancied by many punters. The trainer added: "It is definitely tough for five-year-olds because they have come from their novice status straight up into Grade One company against battle-hardened animals. They are still babies and learning their game.

"I honestly believe Starluck will be a much better horse next year. He will be the finished article and he will just have grown up that little bit more.

"That said, you'd like to think he'd be in the first four tomorrow. He jumps quick, travels really well and if I can just get good ground for him — that's the key thing — he's going to be bang there if everything goes well on the day.

"If he runs respectably and comes home safe and sound, I'll be happy. But winning the race would be a miracle."

Who knows, perhaps the planets are simply aligning for Fleming and Starluck, despite their irregular routes to the Cheltenham Festival.