Hogan completes a double in the last at Killarney Loyal Touch completed a double for trainer Denis Hogan when taking the concluding Kitty O’Shea’s Seafood and Grill Restaurant Handicap at Killarney. A five-time winner when trained by Mark Johnston and then his son Charlie in Britain, the Sunnyhill Racing Syndicate-owned six-year-old was recording his first success on this side of the Irish Sea. Fresh from his double over hurdles at Sligo on Sunday, Daniel King was in the saddle and he came with a late challenge on the 17/2 chance to beat Donnacha O'Brien’s 4/1 shot Celestially by an easy three and a half lengths. “He’s a lovely horse. He has had plenty of issues,” said Hogan. “We bought him cheap out of Mark Johnston’s at the July Sale last year and we thought he’d have something done before now but it’s taken a while to get him right. “He’s a stayer and we thought he’d be a hurdler but he’s not a natural jumper. “I had said we might make the running but the man on board is just a natural rider and he put him in the place he should have been in the race, regarding the pace. “He sat back halfway; after is saying we might make the running, and that’s why he’s top class. “I saw Tony Martin saying it two weeks ago, we’ve known this for a long time. Dan King should be in a big job, he’s very good, but the jobs are not there. “I’ve been blessed, I’ve had Sean Bowen, Joey Sheridan, Dan King and a couple of more young lads coming along but he’s as good as there is out there jumping. “We got him to do 10-2 in the race before and I rang him back and said ‘could you do 9-13 in the last race?’ and he said would, thank God. He’s just well worth to have in the saddle.” Additional reporting by Gary Carson
