When the runaway leader began to tire, nothing was keen to run him down quickly in the soft ground. As a result the pace flagged for a few furlongs. It picked up again as they entered the homestraight and Black Hercules started to be asked to kick clear.

For a few strides Black Hercules ran around a bit. When he had the running rail to race against he kept straight but needed to be kept up to his work and even given a crack with the whip to go eight and a half lengths clear.

Black Hercules is a good-bodied, strong, three-mile chasing sort who has already won a point-to-point. You could argue that he only won this race because of the initially strong pace and the soft ground. You could also argue that he won’t have the pace to win the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.

The trouble I have with this is that I felt exactly the same way about Briar Hill, a very similar type who won the Champion Bumper last year for the same connections after taking a point-to-point. Indeed Willie Mullins has now won the last two renewals of the Champion Bumper with point-to-point winners.

It seems to me that if the going comes up as soft as it was last year at Cheltenham and the early pace is as strong as it usually is, Black Hercules will have a serious chance in the race.