Prince Of Scars bounded into the Ladbrokes World Hurdle picture after he got the better of fellow Gigginstown runner Alpha Des Obeaux in the Squared Financial Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.
Gordon Elliott's five-year-old is now available at around the 14-1 mark for the Cheltenham Festival showpiece in March as he clinically brought up a hat-trick under Davy Russell.
With Arctic Fire seemingly failing to stay three miles - he was last of the four horses that completed - Prince Of Scars (14-1) looked the winner a long way out and was too good for the Mouse Morris-trained Alpha Des Obeaux, who went down by four lengths.
Alpha Des Obeaux was left in front by the early fall of Snow Falcon, while Martello Tower made a race of it for a good way until former fought him off rounding the turn.
Prince Of Scars cruising in behind, though, and was angled out approaching the last, eventually winning in decisive fashion.
Arctic Fire travelled strongly in last but was pushed along half a mile out and was never a factor. The six-year-old is declared for the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown on Tuesday, but trainer Willie Mullins confirmed he will not run.
Eddie O'Leary, racing manager for Gigginstown House Stud, said of the first two home: "Alpha Des Obeaux is a very good horse and Prince Of Scars will be a very good horse, but he's just a big shell of a horse.
"He'll be raw for two or three more years but that shows he's going the right way. He was bought as a chaser so to be this good as a hurdler is great.
"He'll go down the World Hurdle route, as will the second - it just didn't suit him today."
