Punchestown report: The retired Moscow Flyer paraded before yesterday's Kerrygold Champion Chase and had a ringside view of his two-mile successor Newmill pounding the doubters into submission with a resounding victory on day one of the Punchestown Festival.

Sceptics who dismissed Newmill's surprise success at Cheltenham last month as a fluke, and there were enough to have the horse's west Cork trainer John Murphy more than a little indignant beforehand, were put firmly on the back foot by a 15-length demolition of Fota Island and Central House.

As if that wasn't enough, there were also the sort of thrills along the way that the old champion would have approved of. Moscow Flyer was usually good for a clanger or two every so often and Newmill's mistake at the second fence, and others at the fifth last and the third last, confirmed the limited margins for error that a top two-mile chaser at full tilt has to work with.

But there is also a flamboyance to Newmill that his old rival wouldn't have understood at all. Andrew McNamara let him attack from the start and the result was a stroll from the last that allowed the rider enjoy the moment to the full.

"People put Cheltenham down to all the fallers but he proved himself today," McNamara said. "Holding him up was never an option as he's a two-mile front-running horse." Murphy, though, disagreed and although predicting "something similar" for next season's campaign, he also stressed Newmill's versatility.

"He does stay and he does it at a gallop that no one can live with," he said. "Going up in trip next season is an option. He has a great cruising speed and jumps brilliant even though he made some mistakes today. I'd say it's 50-50 about stepping him up over three miles."

Fota Island's trainer Mouse Morris was impressed with the winner and declared: "He was just too good for us - end of story."

Significantly, though, Newmill's status as an undisputed champion in the public consciousness doesn't seem completely secure with everyone just yet. Paddy Power have him as their 5 to 1 favourite to retain the crown at Cheltenham next year but Cork's Cashmans rate him only a 12 to 1 fifth favourite.

Iktitaf is as low as 8 to 1 with Boylesports for next year's Champion Hurdle after an impressive seven-length defeat of the odds-on Straw Bear in the VC Bet Champion Novice Hurdle.

Paul Carberry's decision to stick with the winner's stable mate Sweet Wake backfired spectacularly as that horse trailed in second last with Ruby Walsh's spare ride paying off in spades.

As if that wasn't enough Carberry was ruled out of the rest of the festival after his ankle injury played up again during the race.

"Sweet Wake didn't run within an asses roar of how he can but I thought the winner was exceptional," said Noel Meade, who brought Iktitaf back from a serious knee injury picked up here during the winter.

"The skin was hanging off his knee but vet Jimmy Kelly did a great job on the day and he was back in work within a month. You'd love to think he was a Champion Hurdle horse," added Meade, who later also won the concluding bumper with Cleni Boy.

The rest of the afternoon seemed to belong to Willie Mullins who trained three winners including a resurgent Missed That in the Grade Two novice chase. Ruby Walsh's services were discarded in favour of David Casey who has now been only beaten once in five chase starts on Missed That after the topweight proved five lengths too strong for Slim Pickings. "Maybe it was the extra distance or maybe it was having David on board," considered Mullins. "It just wasn't happening for Ruby even though he was excellent on the horse at Cheltenham last year. The horse could go for the French Champion Hurdle now."

The track was watered last night as the authorities aim to maintain good ground.

"There is no rain forecast until the end of the week and we want to keep the ground good," said clerk of the course Joe Collins yesterday evening.

Yesterday's official crowd of 15,557 was up almost 800 on the 2005 figure but the Tote turnover of €751,488 was down over €50,000 on last year. Bookmaker turnover was just over €2 million.