Shane Gray bossed things from the front on Pivotal Rock in the Dundalk Stadium On Facebook Handicap and the five-year-old gelding found enough in the final furlong to fend off the well-backed favourite Aquilonius (9/4 this morning into 5/4) by a head.

The victorious Pivotal-sired Laytown winner, soon took the other four along when nothing else wanted to go on, and as is so often said, the place to be is in front when the pace is steady. He eventually had enough in reserve to hold on.

Gray, riding this fellow for Michael O'Flynn and Tommy Stack, said: "We got a nice handy lead and he quickened well when I asked him to in the home straight. He stuck it out well and I was always confident he'd hold on." (AM & EM)