SHREWD CALL landed a huge £13,000 windfall for connections when completing an unbeaten run through the Colossus Bets Kent Silver Salver Final at Central Park on Sunday.

Trained by David Mullins for Kelly Searle, Shrewd Call landed a £10,000 bonus put up by big-race sponsor Bernard Marantelli for a clean sweep of heat, semi-final and final – in addition to the £3,000 first prize.

Breaking well, the September 2018 son of Ballymac Vic and Shrewd Clover was soon upsides fast-breaking Druids Brazona (Jason Bloomfield) and powered into the all-important first turn to assume command and draw away.

Keeping up a relentless gallop, the youngest runner in the 265m contest crossed the line one-and-three-quarter lengths clear of the staying-on King Drake (Liz McNair) in 16.12sec, appropriately the fastest time of the competition.

Winning trainer David Mullins said: “It’s a great win and a real tonic for the family at a tough time. I’m delighted for Kelly (Searle, owner), who would’ve loved to be here and he’s done her and us really proud throughout the Silver Salver.

“He’s still a young dog. He’s still a pup and I always believe sprinters are in their prime from two-and-a-half to three years old, so with luck we’ve got something to look forward to. And on the back of Piemans Noelle winning her Regency heat the night before at Hove, it’s been a decent couple of days on the track.

“I have to thank Colossus for their generous sponsorship,” added Mullins. “The bonus was one thing – and fantastic to go for, and then achieve – but they also added 15 per cent prize-money for the trainer which is gratefully received!”

Winning owner Searle said: “Sunday night and the two before that were just so exciting – I can’t think of any other way to describe it!”

And of Shrewd Call himself, she added: “We all think a lot of him, but he’s still a baby and I know David thinks we actually won’t see the best of him until next year.

“David and Julie – and ‘Team Mullins’ – are doing a fantastic job. We weren’t sure what we had to start with him, but it became clear quite quickly he was going to be a sprinter. His sheer pace to the bend is phenomenal to watch.

“It’s been an amazing experience from start to finish. The sponsor offering the bonus to go unbeaten was great PR and I’d like to thank Colossus again for their very generous sponsorship – and the cash-out option put to us made it fun.

“Although the offer ahead of the final was very generous, and everyone had an opinion on what to do, I just couldn’t accept it. Letting it ride just made sense.

“Of course it’s a shame not to have been there, but these are strange times and these things can’t be helped right now.

“It’s all part of the Shrewd Call story now, as well,” added Searle, who explained: “I won a lot of money in a competition about a week after my dad died last September. It was a competition we’d been entering every week and I was talking to David (Mullins) and Jonathan Kay (Racing Post) at his funeral and they asked me what i was going to do with the money, so of course I said I was going to buy another dog!

“I wanted a competition dog to have some fun with, so David put me on to a guy he knows in Ireland and explained the situation and what I was looking for and, although there was no hurry, Shrewd Call (or ‘Pops’ as i call him – he’s ‘Patch’ in the kennels) came along pretty quickly and i just knew he was the dog I was going to buy.

“A shrewd call, perhaps, or just luck – either way it’s been amazing so far!”