Gordon Elliott effectively ruled out a tilt at the Champion Hurdle with Apple's Jade after she suffered a shock defeat on her seasonal reappearance at Down Royal.
So impressive when winning Grade One events at Aintree and Punchestown in the spring, the four-year-old was making her first start for Elliott in the Grade Two WKD Hurdle following the well-publicised split between owners Gigginstown House Stud and champion trainer Willie Mullins.
The 1-2 favourite made most of the running under Ruby Walsh, but was unable to shake off her rivals and 10-1 shot Rashaan loomed up as a big danger rounding the home turn.
There was little to choose between the pair jumping the final flight, but Colin Kidd's stable star was away from it the quicker and passed the post a length and a half to the good.
Apple's Jade was pushed out to 16-1 from 8-1 for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham by Paddy Power, and Elliott plans to step his filly up in distance on her next start.
He said: "I'm disappointed, but the positive is we haven't had her that long. I know she'll come on from the run, but she'll not be winning any Champion Hurdle, that's one thing I will tell you.
"She did jump well, she just looked slow. If you look at those Triumph Hurdle horses over the years, they do want a trip. We'll step her up in trip and she'll win loads of races."
Winning jockey Sean Flanagan said: "Colin holds this lad in high regard and when he was running as a juvenile he was running into the likes of Footpad. Then he was running on heavy ground and he wants a bit of nicer ground.
"He ran a cracker in Leopardstown last week (ninth in November Handicap) after encountering a lot of traffic problems.
"We knew the favourite was going to be hard to beat, but we hoped we'd give her a run for her money and it paid off."
Airlie Beach kept her unbeaten record intact with a tenacious all-the-way success in the EBF Lough Construction Ltd Mares Novice Hurdle at Down Royal.
The winner of a bumper at Kilbeggan on her sole start last year, the six-year-old returned to the Westmeath circuit to make a successful start to her jumping career in July and has not looked back, completing a five-timer in a Listed event at Gowran Park last month.
Sent off the 4-6 favourite stepped up to Grade Three level, the Willie Mullins-trained soon adopted her customary pacesetting role in the hands of Ruby Walsh.
Elliott's Shattered Love, third in a Grade Two bumper at Aintree in the spring and a winner on her hurdling debut at Tipperary, was always close at hand under David Mullins.
The big two settled down to fight it out from the home turn and Airlie Beach knuckled down after the final flight to prevail by half a length.
While out of luck with Shattered Love and dual Grade One winner Apple's Jade in the feature WKD Hurdle, it was still a very successful afternoon for Elliott after saddling four winners.
Walsh steered Monbeg Notorious to victory in the opening Eventsec Maiden Hurdle, although the 8-11 favourite may have been a shade fortunate as stable companion The Storyteller looked poised to pounce when coming to grief two flights from the finish.
Elliott said: "He's a nice horse, he's a big three-mile chaser in the making. He'll be a nice horse for the future. Whatever he does over hurdles is a bonus. The Storyteller was going well (when he fell). At least we know we have a nice horse."
Wolfslair obliged as the 9-2 favourite in the Allianz Handicap Hurdle under David Mullins, before A Toi Phil (4-5 favourite) completed hat-tricks for Elliott, Walsh and owners Gigginstown House Stud with an authoritative success on his fencing debut in the Porter & Co. Beginners Chase.
"He's a nice horse. It was his first run for us. He jumped well and he'll do his job, definitely," said the trainer.
"He'll probably go for a graded race next, maybe the Drinmore (at Fairyhouse)."
Elliott rounded off his four-timer in the Robinson Services Handicap Chase as veteran Realt Mor (7-1) scooted clear in the hands of Keith Donoghue.
Elliott said: "It's a great day - we had four winners. Obviously the one we thought would win got beaten. That's racing, it's a great game."
Noel Meade and Nina Carberry combined to land the concluding Killyhevlin Hotel INH Flat Race as 3-1 shot Joey Sasa followed up last Sunday's Galway success with a battling display.
Meade said: "He missed a couple of years, not because he was injured, it was because he wasn't broken as they couldn't catch him!
"He's not too bad now. Nina just said he wants that ground. He jumps great.
"He's obviously decent. He stuck at it well and stays well. It looked a decent race beforehand."
