The Gordon Elliott-trained Coko Beach denied Willie Mullins a ninth victory in the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park.
It was an Elliott 1-2, with 15/2 shot Run Wild Fred coming home second under jockey Sean Flanagan.
The Mullins-trained Class Conti was third (11/1), but pre-race joint-favourite Acapella Bourgeois was beaten into fifth.
Coko Beach was a novice over fences, but his Thyestes win has seen his odds cut from 33/1 to 14/1 for the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham.
"It was a brilliant performance and Gordon was fairly hopeful he'd run a big race," winning jockey Jack Kennedy said, "So he gave me a little push to go with him and I'm delighted I listened.
🗣️"He's always been a very good jumper"
🏇 There were no pre-race concerns over his jumping... @jackkennedy15 reacts to his victory in #GoffsThyestes - on-board Coko Beach - for @gelliott_racing.
Interviews ➡ https://t.co/6jlFSyXkK2 pic.twitter.com/PD0dsur6l9— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 28, 2021
"The blinkers made a massive difference. He's been going around in small fields and probably lacked a bit of concentration but the big field and blinkers sharpened him up an awful lot.
"He jumped and travelled a lot better.
"He's always been a very good jumper even from when he was running in juvenile hurdles.
"He was always very natural and was going to be a chaser, so I wasn't worried about this being his first handicap chase. His jumping was always going to be okay."
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