Peter Fahey's Suprise Package shed his maiden tag at an excellent time, in the Connolly's RED MILLS Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final at Punchestown.

The 14/1 victor certainly didn’t go un-backed at bigger prices earlier, and those that invested were on good terms with themselves when Suprise Package got on terms after two out travelling well, and led entering the straight.

He kept on strongly on the run-in to beat It Could Be You by six lengths.

Fahey also had Born Patriot (6/1) in the mix, but he had to settle for sixth in the hands of Jamie Codd.

“He jumped super the whole way, travelled great, and even at the third last and second last I was hanging on to him and hanging on to him and I was probably there a bit soon,” reported winning jockey Darragh O’Keeffe.

“He was in such a good rhythm. He pricked his ears at the last and jumped it well and quickened up nicely.

“Peter (Fahey) is very shrewd, he’s had a brilliant season, and I’m delighted to get a winner on the board for him.”

Meanwhile Fahey stated: “He was knocking around running okay in maiden hurdles and I rang Sandy Shaw (handicapper) to see what sort of mark he was thinking for him.

“I was thinking it was going to be a lot less than what he roughly thought so we said we’d take a chance in this as it’s a great pot.

“We bought him after he wasn’t sold in one of the point-to-point sales. He ran in a point-to-point on goodish ground and is a summer horse for Paul Leech. Paul is based in Boston and has a couple of horses with me.

“He’s just kept improving and will be a lovely horse for the summer.

“We were thinking after Cheltenham we’d never win in Aintree and it’s the icing on the cake to have a winner at the Punchestown Festival as well.

“Belfast Banter will go for the Galway Hurdle and he’ll have a run on the Flat about five or six weeks before it.”

J.B. Foley, rider of It Could Be You trained by Thomas Mullins, reported to the Clerk of Scales that his mount sustained a superficial wound to the near fore.

(AM & EM)