Maxxum rewards favourite backers in race four© Photo Healy Racing
Maxxum got the job done on chasing debut at Tipperary despite an indifferent round of jumping.
To his credit, he was better over the final two obstacles and his main challenger, Hubrisko blundered at the last which enabled Gordon Elliott's Maxxum to stretch away on the run-in.
Maxxum, the even-money favourite, took this beginners' chase by a reduced margin of three lengths at the line from a keeping-on Walk Away (4/1) as Hubrisko could give no more and dropped out of the places.
Jockey Keith Donoghue said: “He did it well. Obviously, he was the highest-rated in the race and was entitled to do that. He was a little bit sticky as we were probably going a little bit slow but, as he warmed up into it, he jumped better.
"He was probably just doing enough, just having a good look up the straight.”
Maxxum won three times over hurdles last year including in a valuable Pertemps qualifier at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Additional reporting by Tom Weekes
