RIOJA OISIN completed a notable big-race double for trainer Kevin Hutton and owner Paul Woodburn when landing the final of the Arena Racing Company Scurry Gold Cup at Perry Barr – the winner and runner-up Magical Bear serving up a real treat for spectators in the last sprinters’ Classic at the Midlands venue.

Having won the M Lambe Construction Birmingham Cup with Rioja Bungle, Hutton and the Woodburn family – Paul and Sarah, plus Sarah’s sister Jackie Brown – struck again with Rioja Oisin as the track record holder came through a brilliant buckle with Bill Russell’s local star Magical Bluebeard to grab gold in the Category Two event.

On a night Perry Barr also staged the Premier Greyhound Oaks Final for a huge double-header, the two-bend feature offered a first prize of £7,500 with new track record holder Rioja Oisin eyeing a repeat performance from his semi-final effort when setting new figures of 15.71sec. However, in a quality field, mistakes could have been costly.

Coming away well, Rioja Oisin was led into the turn by Magical Bluebear but came to challenge for the lead rounding the bends. Then followed a coming together between the pair with the momentum now with the Oxford raider who went on to land his fifth UK victory in six starts by a length in 15.87sec (normal), the pair well clear of the chasing pack.

Hutton praised the brilliantly fast 36-kilo May 2022 son of Droopys Sydney and Oisins Choice, but admitted things had not been straightforward.

“He’s had a wrist issue which has certainly hampered his progress but there’s no doubt he’s a top-class sort. He only had one race at Cork and now six in the UK, so has nothing on the card really and gives us options moving forward.

“He’s a four-bend dog really but we could head to Nottingham for the (Arc) National Sprint at the end of the year. Either way, we’re going to enjoy this. It’s great for Paul, Sarah and Jackie, and as a kennel we’ve had a good run at Perry Barr in recent weeks. But this was really special, a brilliant buckle between two superb greyhounds. A joy to watch.”

Perry Barr racing manager Martin Seal was delighted to have overseen not just a real treat of a Scurry Gold Cup final but also a first-class event all-round.

He said: “It was a terrifically competitive renewal of the Scurry, probably one of the deepest ever, with every top sprinter in the land turning up.

“Searing early pace from Rioja Oisin saw him run out the deserved champion. Again, hats off to Kevin (Hutton) and his team for their patience and handling of this super-fast but up to now fragile runner. The fact the big blue pulled further clear into the drop opens up a few options going forward, with a return to four bends a decision to consider for sure.”

Results: https://www.gbgb.org.uk/meeting/?meetingId=419304&raceId=1079732