Racing: Champion Hurdle hero Brave Inca showed characteristic steel to win the rescheduled Ballymore Properties Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
Colm Murphy's tough-as-teak eight-year-old ground out a determined three-quarters-of-a-length success from Rosaker in extremely testing conditions.
Odds-on favourite Asian Maze trailed home fourth of the five runners.
Sent off the 100-30 second-favourite, Tony McCoy had to niggle Brave Inca along from before the halfway stage of the Grade One contest as Noel Meade's Rosaker (10-1) took them along at a moderate gallop.
Asian Maze was travelling well enough in second, but soon downed tools once the pace quickened four from home.
By contrast, Murphy's charge gained a narrow lead at the third-last and although Rosaker staged a late rally on the run-in, Paul Carberry's mount could not catch Brave Inca, whose appetite for a scrap proved decisive.
Brogella, the outsider of the quintet, finished third, while Al Eile ran no sort of race and came home last.
Murphy said: "He has had a hard race today. The ground was not ideal, but he stuck to his guns well. He'll know he's had that run. We are always a bit worried about giving him too hard a race at this time of year, but I am delighted with that.
"The Morgiana wasn't ideal as they went a true gallop and he got found out for fitness. He should come again from this. Tony said he wasn't doing a tap - he never seems to travel on his own and small fields don't suit him.
"The next race will be the Bewleyshotels.com December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas (December 29). If he gets back to Cheltenham in half as good form they will know they have had a race."
But Murphy was far from happy with the condition of the track.
He said: "It was a disgrace they ran the maiden hurdle. We have always tried to do the best for him, that's why I am so mad."
McCoy added: "He benefited from his run in the Morgiana and that was a better race than in previous years. He battled well today and it helped that Barry (Geraghty) looked after him the last time.
"The conditions were not ideal but he's a hard horse. He's getting older and a bit cuter. He's an amazing horse and still the best."