Gordon Elliott celebrates his 2000th career win

Gordon Elliott celebrated the landmark of 2,000 career winners in Ireland and Britain after Ted Hastings claimed a runaway victory at Ayr.

The Grand National and Gold Cup-winning trainer reached the figure globally last week, and the victory of Gallyhill at Down Royal on Monday moved him within one.

Sent off the 13-8 favourite for the opening Book Summer Racenight With Gok Wan Maiden Hurdle, Ted Hastings moved smoothly to the lead on the approach to second flight from home and soon asserted.

A neat leap at the last sealed it for the six-year-old, who quickened up smartly on the run-in to extend the winning margin to seven and a half lengths over Maifalki.

Elliott told Racing TV: "It's great and a big credit to all the staff and the owners, my family and the whole team I have around me.

"It's nice to get it for Aidan (Ryan, owner). He's been patient with this horse. He's galloped like a nice horse at home, but things haven't worked out. We said we'd bring him here and go left-handed.

"There's been a lot of water gone under the bridge since then, but Arresting was my first ever winner (at Perth in 2006, ridden by Richard Johnson) and it's great to be back in Scotland to have my 2,000th winner.

"I love coming racing to these tracks, they look after us second to none."

A native of Summerhill in Meath, Elliott shot to fame when landing the 2007 National with Silver Birch, at a time when the then 29-year-old had not even trained a winner in Ireland.

Countless big-race successes have followed, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Don Cossack and, famously, back-to-back National victories with Tiger Roll.

His achievements are all the more impressive considering Elliott does not come from a racing background - his father was a