Royal Paradise - smooth winner. (Getty Images)

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Royal Paradise was carried home by cheers of the packed grandstands at Leopardstown to run out an impressive winner of the Deloitte Novice Hurdle.

His three-length defeat of The Railway Man saw him propelled to the forefront of the betting for the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle, with Coral most cutting him from 12-1 to 7's. Totesport are top-priced at 9-1.

Never far off the pace on the heavily-backed 4-5 favourite, Mick Fitzgerald took the race by the scruff of the neck when joining long-time leader Sweet Kiln at the fourth-last flight and kicked for home on the turn into the straight.

He soon put daylight between himself and his rivals with The Railway Man giving chase in second and Augherseka coming from last to fill the third spot, a further length and a half away.

Trainer Tom Foley, whose Danoli became an Irish legend in the late 1990's, will now have to decide whether Royal Paradise will tackle the SunAlliance or the Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.

"I was quite happy with that, although I was feeling the pressure," he said. "If he was to have any chance of going to Cheltenham he had to win.

"He's entered in both races there so I need to talk to the owner about where he's going to go to but I think he's had a few quid on for the SunAlliance so we will probably go there.

"However, distance is not a problem to him and he's fast enough for the two miler."

Despite having a live Festival candidate, Foley is looking further down the line with the five-year-old, who looks to have a bright future.

"I would like to see him over fences one day, that's something to look forward to," he said.

"I think better ground at Cheltenham would help as Mick says that he is quite deliberate at his hurdles and with a quicker pace he would be able to fly at them."

Foley landed this two-mile-two-furlong race with Danoli and when asked to compare the two, he said: "They would be as different as chalk and cheese. Danoli would let you know what he was doing but this fellow just waits for the day." <