Atlantic Breaker maintained a good recent run for Paddy Kennedy when taking the opening Balloo Maiden Hurdle at a sun-kissed Downpatrick.

Kennedy, the older brother of teenage sensation Jack, has ridden a number of winners in the past few weeks including Oakly at Roscommon on Tuesday and recorded another wide-margin win here.

The Mark McNiff-trained gelding was supported on track from 7/1 into 11/2, and justified the confidence in style. Great Khan had just taken over in front from 5/4 favourite Sharps Choice when Kennedy’s mount swept past the pair away from the final flight.

The seven-year-old gelding stayed on strongly up the closing hill to beat Canny Tom by nearly ten lengths, with Great Khan a further seven and a half lengths away in third.

McNiff said, "He never runs a bad race, and everything that beats him goes on and wins. He was third here the last day and Dorans River went on and won a good novice hurdle, the horse that beat him a head for second (Penance) beat an odds-on chance in Ballinrobe. On a line through the horse that beat us a head we had the the beating of Edward O'Grady's horse (Great Khan) who had beaten the favourite.

"He has had that many tries you were getting fed up fancying him. I thought he would have won a maiden hurdle seven starts ago. He's a horse with plenty of ability.

"He hasn't been that straightforward to ride, so we tried a different bit on him the last couple of runs and they were his best two runs. There's more control on him.

"He'll keep going. His owner (Sean Conway from Draperstown, Co Derry but living in Uttoxeter)

always goes to Galway so he may go there for a handicap."

(MG & AM)