Boy too strong for hotpot Book Front-runner Salty Boy proved too strong for hotpot Notebook in the opener at Clonmel this afternoon. The Gigginstown gelding was sent to post a 4/6 shot for the extended two-mile-three contest but couldn't find a way past Salty Boy in the closing stages. Rachael Blackmore asked the favourite for an effort turning for home but he couldn't get on terms with the eventual winner. Danny Mullins got a good tune from Salty Boy, trained by his mother Mags, as the Stowaway gelding stuck on well to post a six-and-a-half length winning margin. The 11/4 winner had been third in a Downpatrick bumper on his most recent outing having also reached the money on two previous outings over timber. "He had won a point to point and we were always going to jump out and go an even gallop,” said the winning rider. "The Gigginstown runner (Notebook) was the horse to beat and I saw Rachael niggling along across the top and I knew my lad would keep finding so I let him roll and he galloped all the way to the line. "He jumps well but idled in front and his best jumps were when the other horse came up beside him. We think he'll stay three miles. "It's great for my mother as she's had a lot of placed runners recently but to get one with their head in front is fantastic. “She has gone to the Sales so has left me in charge today so I might get another job now!" (Quotes by Tom Weekes)
