Indian Icon justified strong market support, as he took the opener at Killarney, the Micheal Doyle Memorial Maiden Hurdle.

The Dessie Hughes trained colt had disappointed over hurdles on a couple of occasions in the past, but on this his seventh try he finally got it right.

Available at 5/2 this morning, the French bred son of Indian Rocket opened on-course at 13/8 before being backed into 6/5 favouritism at the off.

Ridden by Mark Enright he went clear after the last, going on to score by two and a half lengths. Irish Bulletin (20/1), for Eric McNamara and Mark Walsh, ran a nice race to take second, on just his third start over hurdles, while Elishpour was a further three and a half lengths back in third under Danny Mullins for Tony Martin at 12/1.

McKinley, under Ruby Walsh for Willie Mullins, who drifted from 7/4 this morning out to 11/4 at the off, finished a well-beaten fourteenth.

Dessie Hughes said afterwards: “We forgot the colours today so he won in different colours.

"He was entitled to win and he enjoyed that ground. He will go to Ballinrobe in a fortnights time for a four-year-old winners of one."

Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes