Dreal Deal continued his remarkable winning sequence as he sprang a shock on his first attempt at Grade Two level with victory in the Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle.
Ronan McNally's six-year-old drifted in the market and was sent off an unconsidered 22-1 shot at Punchestown to post his sixth successive victory, over hurdles and on the Flat.
But after being held up last early on in the two-mile contest, he surged from well off the pace to lead just after the final flight and prevail by a decisive three lengths from the Willie Mullins-trained Ganapathi, under Denis O'Regan.
Gordon Elliott's 11-4 favourite Magic Tricks came under pressure leaving the back straight and was eventually last of six finishers.
Dreal Deal's progress through the ranks has been astounding this season.
The former maiden point-to-pointer began it as an apparently exposed performer, without a victory in 11 attempts under both codes, yet is since unbeaten - having broken his duck over hurdles from a handicap rating of 84 at Navan in September and won here at level weights from a field full of the big yards' most promising novices.
McNally now has his sights on Cheltenham and the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
"He won't be going to the Dublin Racing Festival in Leopardstown and will probably go to Cheltenham now. I think he's entitled to go there now," he said.
"If we have to go for a lesser race in between, we will do that, and if not it will be straight to Cheltenham.
"He will probably go for the Supreme, but he will be entered in the Ballymore as well. That was the dream, but he had to go and do that today.
"He's done it now - so we can dream!"
O'Regan added: "He can travel real well, but it just takes him a while to get going - and thankfully he got going in the straight. He'd a good jump at the last and won all right in the end.
"He's definitely entitled to step up into higher company again, and it's something to look forward to. Well done to Ronan and the team."
Owl Creek Bridge somehow managed to avoid the misadventures all around him to land a gamble in the Sporting Life Beginners Chase at Punchestown.
In what was an incident-packed race from the outset - starting with Padraic's Choice being withdrawn, causing the race to be delayed - both horse and Conor McNamara had to be at their most alert and agile throughout as fallers, loose horses and at one stage even an errant swan threatened their safe passage.
Favourite Ensel Du Perche was doubly responsible for the manic chain of events in the extended two-mile-six-furlong contest, initially when he fell at the first fence and brought down Good Luck Hope and Half Shot.
All three horses then ran loose, weaving between runners at the head of a field which would eventually be reduced from the 14 who set out to just six finishers.
Ensel Du Perche was once again the chief culprit as he veered in one direction and then the other approaching the fence leading away from the stands, with his two fellow loose horses for company, before carrying out three more and causing another to refuse.
Among them were the appropriately-named pair Jack Fiasco and Hell On Earth.
Owl Creek Bridge had hunted round in midfield to that point, but the incident left him well clear.
That is where he stayed too for the final circuit, despite the bizarre attentions of a swan, who just briefly threatened another unwanted cameo when appearing on the rail on the run to the last.
After guiding the well-backed 7-1 shot home 12 lengths clear, for his father and trainer Eric, McNamara provided a calm eyewitness appraisal.
He said: "There was plenty of drama going on the whole way, and he had to make his own running after nearly half the field were taken out at the one after the stands.
"He jumped electric, and it's good to get a beginners. He didn't beat a whole pile - but a win is a win."
