Eachtotheirown does the business for Connell, Driscoll and Flanagan

When determining Barry Connell’s chances of Grade 1 glory as the Punchestown Festival got under way on Tuesday, almost every analyst would have been highlighting the chances of Marine Nationale in the William Hill Champion Chase later in the card.

Connell has upset the odds countless times as a jockey, owner and trainer however, and the Nurney-based handler saddled the winner of the opening top-flight race of the week as Eachtotheirown benefited from a brilliant front-running ride by Seán Flanagan in the PRL Champion Novice Hurdle.

Even with the Willie Mullins-trained Sober ruled out due to being under the weather, resulting in Paul Townend switching to stablemate Too Bossy For Us, the seven-year-old son of Westerner was unheralded in the betting, going off at 16/1.

El Cairos, representing the Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy tandem, went off the 2/1 favourite but found precious little in attempting to peg back the pacesetter, and eventually tired to finish fourth, behind the staying-on Blake and Le Labo.

Connell owns Eachtotheirown in partnership with Tim O’Driscoll and they saw Flanagan bounce out from the drop of the flag and apart form jumping out of the jockey’s hands at the opener, had little cause for concern throughout.

The four-and-a-quarter-length triumph was a fair indication of the dominant nature of result.

“We’re absolutely thrilled,” said Connell of his charge, who will head for chasing next season. “We thought he’d a great chance at Cheltenham. We thought he’d be placed but it didn’t happen for him. They went no gallop. He’s a typical Westerner, he’s quite exuberant. We said today we’d pop him out and he settled away lovely.

“The only worrying moment was the first. In fact he did the same at Thurles. He’s a lot of power behind and he just landed a bit steep. But other than that, there was never a worrying moment.

“I thought he was worth taking his chance and we were quietly confident that he’d be there jumping the last.” Meanwhile, there was a familiar look to how proceedings got under way in Co Kildare.

“It’s brilliant. He’s always been a straightforward horse,” said Monasterevin-based trainer Ian McCarthy, after an absolutely straightforward victory by Fountain House (9/4f) in the Kildare Hunt Club Chase for the Ladies Cup, the traditional opener of the Punchestown Festival.

It was the second straight success for the eight-year-old running in the colours of McCarthy’s wife Nicki, and this was far more comfortable, Rob James – deputising for the injured Eoin Mahon - stalking Jamie Scallan and Willitgoahead until the turn into the straight before taking it up and galloping on to score by 39 lengths.

It was two from two for local trainers after the valuable Albert Bartlett Series Final went the way of the appropriately named Powerful (9/1), a gargantuan son of Camelot trained by Jessica Harrington. The Moone conditioner is no stranger to success at the festival but is the first trainer to saddle the winner of this contest, which had gone for export in the past two renewals.

The verdict could have been delivered prior to the turn for home as Simon Torrens left the five-year-old make the best of his way home.

Daylatedollarshort (Olly Murphy) won the battle for the minor placings from Moab (Henrietta Knight) and British-trained challengers took the four spots behind the winner, via Almuhit (Faye Bramley) and Another High Five (Lucinda Russell/Michael Scudamore) but the JP McManus-owned winner was never seriously threatened, even as the margin reduced to half a length at the lollipop.

“He is a lovely horse and we had this race in mind since he won the qualifier here last November. He had a lot of weight on his back but is a very big horse and still did it,” said Harrington. “He’s a gentle giant and being a five-year-old, he could go chasing next year but I don't know yet.

“We have one on the board which is great, as I don't have that many national hunt horses now.” Kalix Delabarriere (10/1) provided Willie Mullins with his first winner of the week in the Listed Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle. It was a big one for Sean Cleary-Farrell as the seven-pound claimer, who was on board when the Slaneyville Syndicate’s six-year-old scored at Fairyhouse at the beginning of the month, left his challenge the latest to reel in I’m Slippy in the shadow of the post.

It was a tremendous effort by the victor, who was defying a 10lbs penalty, and Cleary-Farrell “To have a winner like this at Punchestown at the end of the season, it was great to get that,” said a delighted Cleary-Farrell.