Head Of The Posse was easy in the market in his bid to give Deutschland (4/6) ten pounds in the Belfry Hurdle but the likeable seven-year-old son of Supreme Leader proved up to the task under David Casey.

J P McManus owns the John Kiely-trained 7/2 chance and he proved stronger than the favourite from the last to score by half a length. The pair left the other chief contender, Awkward Moment seventeen lengths behind in third.

Kiely said: "He was off the track for a long time due to a serious injury and he missed most of the season. He'll go chasing now and if the weather were to stay broken he'd go at that job soon. He'll need an ease in the ground, he has schooled and I'm happy with what he's done."