Galway success for Kells owner

Kells owner Norman Ormiston enjoyed a visit to the winners' enclosure at Galway last week when Vastonea won the feature Topaz Mile Handicap on the second evening of the seven-day festival. Trained by Kevin Prendergast and ridden by Moynalty man Declan McDonogh, Vastonea got up inside the final furlong to prevail by half-a-length. Pintura and Custom Cut looked like they would dominate the finish from before the straight, but McDonogh timed his run well. For the owner, it was a second win in the big Tuesday night race that he won previously with Eklim in 2003. "We've had a few winners here before - it's been a very lucky place for us, Kevin always believed in this horse - he had lots of problems when he was younger - but the trainer always said there was a big one in him," commented Ormiston. McDonogh enjoyed a good week at Galway and completed a double on the Tuesday when he landed the concluding maiden with Maude Adams for his boss. McDonogh was on the mark on Saturday with Cest Notre Gris and Pintura, which McDonogh kept out of the number one slot earlier in the week. Pintura captured the €42,000 first-prize for the Ladbrokes Mobile App Handicap and gave the Moynalty man his fourth winner of the week. Pintura just had enough in the tank to hold off the Michael Mulvany-trained Battleroftheboyne by a neck. Barry Geraghty was on the mark on Wednesday when he won a novice hurdle with Tugboat for trainer Edward O'Grady and the Meath jockey was a real hit with the locals on Friday when he landed the Galway Blazers Chase with the locally-trained Wellforth which got the better of the Pat Martin-trained Agus A Vic. Ratoath trainer Dermot McLoughlin was also in the winners' enclosure at Galway when he saddled Sadler's Mark to win a handicap on the flat on Thursday. The five-year-old re-appeared at Naas on Monday and won again for young Meath jockey Colin Keane and the trainer may send Sadler's Mark to Newmarket for a valuable race in September. Castletown trainer Noel Meade was on the mark on Sunday when Top Man Michael won a handicap to complete a double for the owner, Martin Cullinane who also trained a winner on the final day. Cullinane trains near Ballybrit won with his own Georgie. Jockey Paul Carberry, sidelined after a fall at Killarney last month, could be out for a further six weeks with a shoulder injury.