Midnight Chase has become a loyal servant to Neil Mulholland through thick and thin and the good times returned at Cheltenham once again as he took his rivals apart from the front in the Argento Chase.

A winner at the course's first three meetings last winter before finishing fifth in the Gold Cup, Midnight Chase's season had mirrored that of his trainer's before this Grade Two success in failing to really build on the promise of before.

Mulholland was reaching winner number 12 - hardly disastrous but not likely to have been the projected target at this stage for the ambitious young trainer - while Midnight Chase (9-2) had fallen on his comeback at Down Royal before posting a respectable third in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby.

He returned to life in the Cotswolds as his neat jumping and relentless galloping put the rest under pressure and with Captain Chris quickly pulled up after hanging alarmingly right over the first few fences, his most likely challengers were 100-30 joint-favourites Time For Rupert and Diamond Harry.

But they could only manage respective fourth and fifth after Little Josh faded away, and it was that tricky old customer Tidal Bay who emerged as the danger.

Midnight Chase, cajoled by Dougie Costello, has not been known to stop up the final hill before and he still had two and three-quarter lengths in hand when taking the £100,000 event.

Mulholland said: "I'm delighted, we've had a bad time so this is great. We just haven't had the horses. We've had success for a couple of years and a lot are badly handicapped. You can take cars apart and change them, but you can't do that with horses. Thankfully Midnight Chase is always there to pull out a performance."

The sponsors Betfred cut Midnight Chase to 16-1 for the Gold Cup and Mulholland added: "I thought he was in the same form as a year ago, but he's got stronger and he's very genuine.

"He loves racing and he loves Cheltenham, so he has to go for the Gold Cup after that."