Mister Blue Sky led home a one-two for Willie Mullins in the Fairyhouse Racecourse Supporting Irish Injured Jockeys Association Novice Hurdle.
The champion trainer had saddled five of the last six winners of the Grade Two contest and this year fire a three-pronged assault - with Ruby Walsh siding with 15-8 favourite Mister Blue Sky.
Walsh was happy to bide his time for much of the two-mile journey, while David Mullins - standing in for the sidelined Paul Townend - cut out the running aboard Mister Blue Sky's stablemate Cash Back.
The pair pulled clear on the run to the final flight and while Cash Back did not go down without a fight on the run-in, Walsh was at his brilliant best as he got Mister Blue Sky up to score by three-quarters of a length.
"It rode a good race. I thought he'd progressed a bit since Naas, and the runner-up has run a blinder as well," said the winning rider.
"This fella missed most of the winter as he got a setback after Wexford, and Cash Back was a bit slow to come to hand. I'd imagine they will both go to Punchestown.
"David was better at the last than I was, but I was confident I had the measure of him."
Mister Blue Sky was a second winner on the card for Mullins and Walsh after landing the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Maiden Hurdle with 6-4 favourite Great White Shark.
Dommage Pour Toi caused a 33-1 upset in the other Grade Two on the card, the Fairyhouse Easter Festival Novice Hurdle.
The Emmet Mullins-trained Zero Ten was all the rage to notch a fourth successive win as the 5-4 favourite, but after travelling well for a long way, he was unable to reel in Henry de Bromhead's 33-1 shot Dommage Pour Toi under Rachael Blackmore.
De Bromhead said: "I'm delighted for Hugh (Bleahen, owner). He's been a great supporter of ours and we bought Sizing Europe and Sizing John from him and have had a lot of luck with him over the years.
"He kept this lad after the store sales and has always liked him. He's developing all the time, and has progressed a lot from each run.
"He's very tough and it was a brilliant ride from Rachael as usual."
He added: "I'd think we'll have to go to Punchestown, and we can have a look at the two-and-a-half-mile and the three-mile Grade Ones.
"We'll see how he comes out of this race first, and he'll go chasing next season."
