Open Eagle© Photo Healy Racing
Open Eagle maintained Willie Mullins' impressive strike rate at Warwick by comfortably landing the odds in the Caroline Bermingham & Claire Gibbs Birthday Novices' Hurdle.
Mullins registered a double on this card 12 months ago and Ireland's champion trainer was on target straight away with Open Eagle (4-7 favourite) to make it seven winners from his last 10 runners at the track.
Runner-up to stablemate Thomas Hobson on this course last month, the seven-year-old went one better with the minimum of fuss.
Kilcullen Flem led two out, but was reeled in by Open Eagle and Mystical Knight.
But Mullins' inmate was always going the better and cruised into the lead before the final flight under a confident Paul Townend ride.
Though Open Eagle got in close to the obstacle it failed to stop his momentum and he passed the post three and three-quarter lengths to the good.
"It was straightforward enough. It's what we hoped he'd do," Townend told Racing UK.
"He picked up nicely off the bend. He jumped well on the whole, fiddled the last. I didn't want to do anything stupid at that stage.
"He came here and did it. We didn't learn any more than we knew, but he was impressive, I thought.
"He was a stayer on the Flat and he stays over hurdles as well. He settled, which is a big help as well. He's a nice horse."
Open Eagle was slashed to 14-1 from 33-1 by Paddy Power for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
