Cheltenham Festival bumper winner Jasmin De Vaux put up a workmanlike performance to justify odds of 1/3 on his hurdling debut in the Headfort Arms Hotel Maiden Hurdle at Navan.

The five-year-old son of Tirwanako made a few slight mistakes and was niggled along to lead approaching the final flight where he was again far from fluent.

The hot favourite was ridden out by Paul Townend on the run-in and asserted in the closing stages for a four and a quarter lengths verdict over The Enabler with Workahead a further five lengths away in third.

Townend said, “The engine is there, but the jumping needs working on.

“He'll get confidence - a bit more practice is what he needs. As I say the engine is in there.

“It is a lot harder to put an engine in one than teach him to jump.”

Paddy Power and Betfair cut the Willie Mullins-trained winner into 6/1 (from 8/1) favourite for the Turners Novice Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Additional reporting by Michael Graham