Bumper specialist Kilcruit won his first race over hurdles with a 21 length win at Punchestown.
The seven-year-old was only narrowly beaten by stablemate Sir Gerhard in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in 2021.
Willie Mullins' Kilcruit was expected to start his hurlding career with a bang , but was turned over at 1-14 on his hurdling debut at Cork and suffered another odds-on reverse at Leopardstown over Christmas.
The Stowaway gelding had a farly simple chance to make it third time lucky in the Punchestown.com Maiden Hurdle and got the job done without fuss
With front running tactics applied Paul Townend, Kilcruit was tailed by Bold Approach, but the remainder of the field, leaving the rest toiling behind.
The 1-5 favourite rounded the home turn in control and passed the post with 21 lengths in hand over Bold Approach, who was eight lengths ahead of Cratloe Hill in third.
Mullins said: "He did what we set out to do, but I don't know if we learned much, except that he gallops and jumps.
"We'll see what the time is like compared to the rest of the day, but it wouldn't have looked like the fastest two miles."
Betfair cut Kilcruit to 14-1 from 25-1 for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham and 16-1 from 33-1 for the Supreme.
Kilcruit also qualifies for a handicap mark, but Mullins indicated the Festival curtain-raiser as his most likely target at Prestbury Park.
He added: "He did everything efficiently and I suppose we'll keep him at the minimum trip. He had nothing there to make him jump and sharpen him up - I just thought they weren't going a real sharp gallop.
"I don't know whether I'll run him again before he goes to Cheltenham. I'd imagine he'll go for the Supreme Novices', it's hardly likely he'll have another run, he'll just go there and take his chance."
On wearing a first time tongue-tie, Mullins added: "There wasn't a blow out of him there today. We didn't think there was an issue but maybe it's just developing this year."
