Benefficient stunned punters when landing the honours in the Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Complete outsider of the seven-runner field at 50-1, Tony Martin's charge made all the running in the Grade One contest in the hands of Bryan Cooper.

Sous Les Cieux made late progress from the rear, but the 2-1 favourite could never put in a serious blow and was beaten a length and a quarter.

Martin said: "Last time at Thurles (pulled up) was just one of those things. We put a line through it. From the day we got him we all thought he was a very good horse and he's proved it today.

"He's in everything at Cheltenham and I just hope he didn't leave it behind today. I don't think we did on the ground, so it will be something in Cheltenham.

"He's won on heavy, bottomless ground, but he's a good moving horse and he's still only a baby - a big raw six-year-old. Conditions were ideal today."

Cooper added: "It's great to get my first Grade One winner. I rode in a few of them and was unlucky not to be in the money a couple of times.

"Tony (Martin) told me he would run a big race and that the better ground would help him. I got a few lengths on them at the start and he kept on well and jumped the last well.

"That was my first time to ride him but Ruby (Walsh) told me a lot about him in the weighing room before and I have to thank him for that."

Paddy Power cut Benefficient to 16-1 from 50-1 for the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, while Stan James went 20-1 from 50s for that race and 16-1 from 33s for the Albert Bartlett over three miles.