Hard Station and Johnny Barry pictured on their way to victory© Photo Healy Racing
The Joe O'Keeffe trained Hard Station made all to win the Dan Linehan's Bar And B&B Hunters Chase.
The son of Bandari beat Hurricane Ben, who has since won two races on the track, on his last start in a point-to-point at Ballyarthur.
Available at 7/1 last night, the seven-year-old gelding opened on-course at 9/2 before going off a 4/1 chance.
Sent straight to the front by Johnny Barry, he was ridden after the last, and kept on well for pressure, going on to score by three and a quarter lengths.
The well-backed Mountain Lough (12's this morning and returned 7/2) finished second under Declan Queally for Louis Archdeacon, while Anshan Dreams (12/1) was a further five and a half lengths back in third under Finian Maguire for his father Adrian. Hedgeinator who was sent off the 2/1 favourite (from 3's on-course), pulled up before the third last.
Joe O'Keeffe said afterwards: "He is only now showing us his real potential and while we might consider running him at Listowel, that could be it until the autumn if the ground dries up.
"He is from a very good family and his dam is a half sister to Newmill and he is also closely related to Mount Colah.
"The breed is in the O'Keeffe family for over 40 years and my grandfather had the original mare, the great granddam, which he bought in 1963."
Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
