Scorpion has Gleeson dreaming of bigger targets

Black Scorpion added to a couple of point-to-point wins and a hunter chase success earlier this year when justifying good support in the Club Stand Restaurant Handicap Chase at Clonmel.

The six-year-old gelding, as big as 4/1 this morning and backed on track from 100/30 into 5/2 favourite, had just headed Rightback Atya when that rival fell at the penultimate fence.

Ray Barron ’s mount was soon in control and kept on well to beat Just Get Cracking who made a number of mistakes in this 2m4f event, by nine lengths. Island Master was a half-length further back in third which secured his rider JJ Slevin the John T Purcell Memorial Trophy for leading claiming rider at Clonmel in 2017 and a cheque for 1,000 euro.

Winning trainer John Gleeson, "That was great but he took his time (to win again). He was like that in his point to points last year too and it took him a couple of runs to get his form.

"He wasn't sold and we kept him. He's still for sale again. He's the type of horse you could have a lot of fun with and that's why we haven't sold him. He's great to jump and was going to run over banks at one stage.

"He's only six rising seven, and you dream about all these things, but he could be a Thyestes Chase horse down the road."

(TW & AM)