used this race as a stepping stone to National Hunt Chase glory at Cheltenham with Stattler a couple of years ago, while several of his other recent victors took the same route without success.
This latest winner was cut from 7-1 to 4-1 favourite with Coral for the three-mile-six-furlong test for amateur riders at Prestbury Park.
Paul Nolan’s Albert Bartlett third Sandor Clegane set the pace for most of the way and was still in front after the penultimate fence.
However, 8-13 favourite Embassy Gardens had jumped beautifully and travelled strongly throughout under Paul Townend before coming through to challenge between the last two obstacles.
Another grand leap at the last put him in front and the eight-year-old galloped on well all the way to the line to put 10 lengths between him and Sandor Clegane.
Mullins said: “That was a really good performance and what I like about this horse is that he really loves jumping. When he sees a fence, he wants to jump it and that’s a huge asset in this game.
“He jumps, he stays and does everything right. He’s learned to settle now and is much easier to ride.
“He looks a natural for staying chasing and he’ll go for one of the staying chases in Cheltenham.”
Regarding runner-up Sandor Clegane, Nolan commented: “He ran well and came up against a good horse. He’ll probably go to Cheltenham and see where that takes us.
“It probably wasn’t ideal to make the running but you couldn’t say that it cost us. He was a bit slow twice at the ditch but other than that jumped well.”
It was another good day for Mullins, who had enjoyed big-race success in England 24 hours earlier.
Lossiemouth returned to action with a stunning victory in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham, where Capodanno kept on well to land the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase, both ridden by Townend.
Up at Doncaster, Ashroe Diamond did the business in the SBK Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle with Patrick Mullins on board, with stablemate Gala Marceau back in third.
“Lossiemouth has improved nicely and did it well,” reported Mullins. “We took a chance and waited with her this season and it seems to have done her good.
“I was also happy with the other mares. Ashroe Diamond has come on and Gala Marceau may have just needed it yesterday. She’ll improve away from that.
“I thought Paul was very good tactically on Capodanno yesterday.”
Zarak The Brave back in the groove
Zarak The Brave got back on track by claiming a straightforward victory in the Grade Three Naas Racecourse Business Club Limestone Lad Hurdle.
Paul Townend was last of the four runners aboard the 2-5 favourite approaching the turn for home but then made a forward move to track pacemaker Telmesomethinggirl entering the straight.
Two smooth jumps put the five-year-old in control and he kept on well enough to prevail by a length and a quarter.
The Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned gelding showed plenty of promise last season when placed behind stablemates Lossiemouth and Gala Marceau in Grade One events at Punchestown and Auteuil.
He picked up a valuable prize when landing the Galway Hurdle but was found to be all wrong after being pulled up as a long odds-on favourite for a three-runner Tipperary contest in October.
Trainer Willie Mullins said: “It’s nice to put that bad run in Tipperary behind him and we felt he’d been doing things nice at home.
“He might need a longer trip, as he’s getting settled now compared to what he used to be like. I’m very pleased to get him back on track.
“He’s only in the Champion Hurdle (at Cheltenham) and I’m not sure if he’ll go there. We might look at a few of the Graded races at Fairyhouse over Easter.
Mullins also has Impaire Et Passe for Zarak The Brave’s owners and he is set for action as part of the Closutton squad for the Dublin Racing Festival.
Mullins added: “We’ll work the horses during the week and decide then what we will do next weekend.
“Impaire Et Passe will run in the Irish Champion Hurdle along with State Man and probably Echoes In Rain.”
Jasmin De Vaux carried the same double-green colours to a wide-margin victory for Mullins and son Patrick in the Lengthen The Odds At BetVictor INH Flat Race.
The French import was an easy point-to-point winner at Loughanmore in April and again had things all his own way here, only having to be nudged out in the final furlong to oblige by 15 lengths at 4-11.
Mullins said: "He's booked his ticket on the box (for Cheltenham) after that! He looks a nice acquisition for Simon and Isaac. It looked like there was plenty of pace on from the very beginning and horses that run around Naas in that kind of style on this ground usually end up good racehorses. I'm very happy with him.''
Ndaawi looked a nice prospect for Gordon Elliott when cruising to victory in the Download The BetVictor App Maiden Hurdle as a 10-11 market leader.
Jack Kennedy sent his mount a dozen lengths clear after a fine leap at the final flight and was able to ease down well before the finish, eventually obliging by a comfortable two and a half.
Once a Group One runner in France for Andrew Balding as a two-year-old, the son of Cracksman was cut from 14-1 to 10-1 with Betfair for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Elliott beamed: “It was a good performance and he jumped well. His form was good and we knew he’d improved from the last day. He was entitled to do that. He’ll go for the Boodles at Cheltenham.”
Kings Halo made all when running out a convincing winner of the Clinton Higgins Chartered Accountants Novice Handicap Chase.
Danny Mullins set out to make the two-and-a-half-mile contest a true test of stamina on James Dullea’s 7-4 favourite and succeeded in doing that before drawing 18 lengths clear at the line.
“Our fella jumped and travelled,” said Dullea. “Danny was brilliant and got the fractions right on him. I thought he’d gone a tad quick early on, but Danny knew what he was doing.
“The drop back in trip didn’t make any difference to him and it was a good performance. He’d a lovely weight and everything suited him – ground, weight.
“He has plenty of options now with trips and he’ll get into better handicaps now.”