HE may have once been fancied as a big-handicap contender for Royal Ascot when previously trained in Britain, but Walhaan is quickly making a name for himself as a useful hurdler for Ciaran Murphy and continued his improvement to notch a first win over flights in the two-mile Edmondstown Maiden Hurdle.

Conditional rider Eoin Walsh was seen at his best on the ex-Shadwell-owned Dark Angel gelding, dictating the pace from the front and saving enough to repel the late challenge of 5/6 favourite Horantzau D’Airy, trained by Willie Mullins.