The Willie Mullins-trained Black Hercules© Photo Healy Racing
Black Hercules outstayed his rivals to land the Listed Betfred Mobile Hampton Novices' Chase in good style at Warwick.
Willie Mullins' charge was a 12-length winner on his chasing bow last month and while his margin of victory was smaller here, he nevertheless impressed with a fine round of jumping.
Danny Mullins kicked on at an early stage and the 5/6 favourite still appeared to be travelling with ease as the race began in earnest. Only Definitly Red emerged from the pack to throw down a challenge and while he did his best, Black Hercules pushed on again to win by two and three-quarter lengths.
Danny Mullins said: "He's done it very easy. Once he gets jumping and galloping, he's very good at that. I'm sure Willie has plenty (of options) there (at Cheltenham) and he will decide. A trip is not a problem."
The winning rider added: "His jumping was very slick. You could drop him back in trip and he galloped all the way to the line so there'd be no problem going up in trip.
"The main thing with him he has a lot of class. He has the frame of a chaser and that looks to be where he is going to excel. You can't fault what he's done today.
"We weren't going a great gallop, but I wanted him to stride along, not hack along. When he's jumping like that he's fantastic.
"I don't think that was his true running at Cheltenham last year. He'll go with a good chance and I'm sure Ruby (Walsh) will be taking him back off me. He was very good today - just what you wanted to see."
The winning trainer opted to go to Naas where he saddled Sempre Medici and Roi Des Francs to win their respective Graded heats.
Of Black Hercules, he said: "He jumped great and he's another one for both those races - the RSA Chase and the four-miler (National Hunt Chase)."
Black Hercules was cut to 9/1 from 16/1 for the RSA with Paddy Power.
Trainer Brian Ellison said of runner-up Definitly Red: "He finished 20 lengths clear of a good field. Richard (Johnson) said he wished they'd have gone a bit quicker, but the main thing was he jumped well. I'm delighted with him.
"He'll go to Cheltenham. The RSA is on the agenda, but he'll entered in the four-miler as well. We'll see what the ground is like. You see more from a second run over fences than from the first and he was much better than he was at Catterick."
