Vormir, blue, grabs the lead in the closing stages© Photo Healy Racing
Vormir stormed home in Roscommon to win the extended seven furlong Fuerty Handicap under Gavin Ryan.
The three-year-old gelding was switched out by Ryan racing to the final quarter of a mile.
Once he saw daylight, the 14/1 shot began to make headway a furlong and a half out and was ridden to find more.
He made relentless progress into third flashing past the furlong marker and ran on strongly to pick off Kodiac Prince with 50 yards left.
He won by half a length from the 9/2 runner-up. Ramiro was a further length away in third on the inner.
Winning trainer Fergal Birrane said: "It's a long time since I had a winner (March 2018), so it's brilliant.
“We've been waiting for a while with this horse. We claimed him out of Ger Lyons' and he was really good at the start, but as he went on he was just finding it a bit hard off his rating.
“He was third here in Roscommon and then we ran him in Galway, but he had gone up a pound and went over the 70.
“We knew today he would love the ground. Gavin gave him a super ride.
“He got him settled at the back, as he takes a good hold when he gets out. He settled him perfectly and got him rolling. He said he was going away at the end.
“We'll talk to the owners and see what is next now. He has just taken a little bit of time to come, but he's getting there.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
