Black Hercules odds on for Warwick test Black Hercules faces just four rivals as he bids to build on a successful debut over fences when he goes to Warwick on Saturday. The Willie Mullins-trained five-year-old is quoted with bookmakers in three novice events at the Cheltenham Festival - the National Hunt Chase, the RSA and the JLT. Which direction he takes could depend on his performance in the Betfred Mobile Hampton Novices' Chase, a Listed contest over three miles. Absent after finishing seventh in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, Black Hercules got his fencing career off to the best possible start when landing the odds by 12 lengths from Sambremont at Navan a month ago. "It will be a very interesting race. He was a very good hurdler but has the physique of a chaser so we expect him to be better over fences," said Mullins' son and assistant, Patrick. "Three miles on heavy ground wasn't a problem to him over hurdles so I can't see that bothering him. "He jumped fantastic at Navan and if he can reproduce that, we'll be happy. Ruby (Walsh) said Warwick is a really good test for a novice so that is what we are thinking."
