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Hutton celebrates Silver Silver success as Rioja produces vintage display with new track record

Rioja Oisin produced a stunning track record breaking performance when landing the £12,500 Arena Racing Company Kent Silver Salver at Central Park for Kevin Hutton. Hutton also had a great night at Oxford with six winners. We round up all the action, with Open's also featuring at Perry Barr, Yarmouth and Doncaster

Author
Graham Banks
29 Jun 2025
Rioja Oisin wins Silver Salver

Hutton celebrates Silver Silver success as Rioja produces vintage display with new track record

The Kevin Hutton trained Rioja Oisin (7/4F) produced a sensational performance to land the £12,500 to the winner Arc Racing Company Kent Silver Salver at Central Park on Saturday night, setting new figures for the 277m distance of 16.01 (-20), breaking the previous best time of 16.02 set in May by King Presley. 


Last year’s Scurry Gold Cup winner Rioja Oisin was led in the early stages by a lightning break from the Mark Wallis market rival Ballinakill Liam, but at the first turn she had got of the inside of the leader, and having ran a beautiful bend, turned onto the home straight with a two length lead, drawing clear at the finish to record a two and a half length victory from Ballinakill Liam. The front two finished well clear of the remaining runners following first bend crowding. 


The other big race on the card was the Final of the Jenningsbet Bitches Trophy over 491m, which went the way of Barry O’Sullivan’s Head Count (11/4). 

Often slow into stride, O’Sullivan’s strong running type was last going into the first bend but emerged from the second bend in third, setting off after the Paul Donovan pair, the 10/11F Hopes Kitty and Tuono Bella. Off the last bend, with all the momentum, Head Count made her challenge, splitting the Donovan pair, to record a three quarter length victory from Tuono Bella, with Hopes Kitty a further short head behind.


 The double was landed by Moanteen Lucy (4/1) in the following race over 277m. Having been led in the early stages, she hit the front when avoiding trouble on her inside between the opening bends to record a half length victory in a time of 16.95 (-20).


Having finished runner up in the Silver Salver Final, Mark Wallis got on the scoreboard in the finale over 664m when Garfiney Blaze (1/4F) produced an impressive performance In his first start since exiting the Golden Jacket first round at Monmore in early May. Having built up a useful looking lead down the back of eight lengths,  Paul Donovan’s Wonderful Abi looked as though she may pull of the upset, but Garfiney Blaze started making up up the ground hand over fist into the fifth bend.  The petrol tank of the leader flashed empty at this point and Garfiney Blaze swept to the front into the last bend, drawing clear for a five and a half length victory.


Elsewhere on the card, Luke Morrison was also able to land a double on the card. Coppice Lizzie (8/1) landed the first of the Open’s on the card over 491m when defeating the odds on favourite, 8/15F shot Chaddy Boy by half a length in 30.19 (-40),with the double arriving courtesy of Harlequin Ernie (5/2) over 277m, recording 16.42 (-20).


Gemma Davidson’s Dapper Ronnie (9/1) ran out a wide margin winner over 491m. Having hit the front in the early stages, trouble at the first bend saw him build a decent lead, and with further trouble behind at the third bend, he went on to cross the line nine and three quarter lengths clear at the finish in 29.38 (-40).


Another wide margin winner on the card was Maxine Locke’s August 23 youngster Untold Tether (13/8) who made it two wins from two starts at Central Park. Having got the better of some trouble at the first bend, Untold Tether never looked to be in any danger when going on to score by six and a quarter lengths in 29.86 (-40). (below)


Nick Carter’s Beaming Bono (22/1) caused the biggest upset of the evening when getting the better of the well odds on 2/7F Ower Cracker over 664m. Having turned the opening bend in last position, Carter’s runner took advantage of huge trouble between the front three at the third bend which almost brought them to standstill, sweeping past to hit the front. June Harvey’s favourite stayed on from the fifth bend to finish runner up, but couldn’t make up the lost ground as Beaming Bono recorded a three and a quarter length victory in 41.34 (-60)



Oxford Six Timer caps off sensational night for Hutton

Throughout his career, trainer Kevin Hutton wouldn’t have had many more successful nights in racing as he did on Saturday evening across Central Park and Oxford. With Rioja Oisin landing the £12,500 ARC Silver Salver Trophy at Central Park, Hutton’s evening was to get even better with six Open Race winners at Oxford over the four bend distance of 450m.


Fastest of the sextet was Signet Nayla (6/1) who reversed the form from last week with kennelmate Coppice Ella, who hit the front rounding the opening bends, getting the best of the tussle to score by three quarters of a length in 26.65 to land the £500 to the winner BetGoodwin Oxford Bitches Trophy Final. 


Dreamin Francis (10/11F) got things underway for Hutton when pinging the lids to make all in 26.82, as did Droopys Doll (4/1) in the following race, making all the running in her first start since November by three and three quarter lengths in 26.88. August 23 youngster Untold Ariary (9/4) made a winning debut in good style, with another all the way success for Hutton, running out a three length winner when stopping the clock in 26.95. All three winners were in the three heats of the BetGoodwin Oxford Maiden Trophy, and Hutton looks to have a stranglehold on next week’s final. 


The Pall Mall starts in a couple of week’s time and Hutton sent out two of the three winners of this week’s set of trial stakes. 


Start The Engine (2/5F) again made all the running to make it seven wins from seven career starts at the track, running out a length and three quarter winner from Carl Gardiner’s Easy Tizzy in 26.73, while the final winner of an amazing evening arrived in the finale, when Rioja Maxi (100/30) also produced a front running display to get the better of Richard Yeates’s Clona King by two lengths in 26.80 in just her second start since February.


Yeates managed to get on the board in the penultimate race of the evening, also a trial stakes, which also saw another all the way winner in the shape of Crossfield Niall (100/30), getting the better of Richard Rees’s Avarua Zlatan  by two and a half lengths in a fastest of the night time of 26.61. 


There were also three six bend contests on the card, two of those were heats of the BetGoodwin Oxford Stayers Trophy over 650m. 


The Dave Lewis trained Alright Gordy (2/5F) was the fastest of the two heat winners, drawing clear from the fourth bend to record a seven length victory in 39.43 (-15), while Emmybell Boy (EVS F) led round the opening bends to run out a comfortable four length winner for Shaun Gresham in 39.79 (-15). Sam Lapidge trained the other six bend winner on the card, with Franco Eve (7/1) pinging the lids and made all the running in the opening maiden contest of the evening in 40.40 (-15) 



Hall lands short priced double in Perry Barr Open’s

Six Open’s formed half of Perry Barr’s twelve race card with favourite backers on good terms with themselves, as four clear and one joint favourite landed the spoils from those six contests.


Robert Hall provided two of those winning favourites when his Got One Better (1/2F) gained his first Open Race victory when scoring over 480m, running out a length and three quarter winner in 28.74, while Shortwood Cloud (2/5F) who had won four of his last five starts coming from off the pace in A2 and A1 company, benefited from the step back up distance as he was able to hit the front in the early stages. The result was never in any doubt at that point as he drew clear for a twelve and a quarter length victory in 40.47.


Chloe Hardy’s trip down from Newcastle was a worthwhile one as her Unanimous Kai (100/30) recorded the fastest time of the four bend action when leading round the opening bends to score by four lengths in 28.00.


 Billis Hoffa (5/6F) was another winning favourite when making all the running to score for John Lambe in 28.20, while Barry Denby’s Leighas Dream (9/4J) produced a good performance to reel in Hardy’s Bramble Elvis close home after overcoming a slow start and trouble in running to gain victory by a short head in 28.25.


Monmore’s Pat Doocey took the remaining contest over 275m courtesy of Longacres Lad (5/6F), who followed up an impressive winner here a couple of weeks ago, but had to overcome trouble at the first bend to do so, with a winning time of 16.50 an indication of how severe the trouble was, having previously scored here in 15.99.



Starshine a Sweetie for Bloomfield in Yarmouth double

Seven Open’s formed part of Yarmouth’s ten race card on Saturday with Jason Bloomfield faring the best of the trainers, landing a double.


Two Slip Jigs (5/1) trapped well and made all the running in the only sprint contest of the evening over 277m, recording a two and three quarter length victory in 16.11 (+10), while Starshinesweetie (8/1) made a winning return to six bend action over 659m having won her last two starts over four bends, again making all the running, holding off the late challenge from the unlucky in running odds on 2/5F Bogger Cash by a neck in 40.73 (+30).


There were three other six bend contests over the 659m distance, with Heres Ringo (5/2), trained by Glenn Hockings, going comfortably the quickest of the four races, making all the running for a length and a half victory in 40.14 (+30), following up a good victory at Romford over 575m last time out. 


Other winner’s over the distance were Gary Beadle’s Sober Speed (6/4F) in 40.97 (+30) and the John Mullins trained Wrong Not Wright (6/5F) in 40.90 (+30).


Two four bend contest’s made up the rest of the card, with victories going the way of Jane Craske’s Laugh Alot (5/2) who followed up a top grade victory last time out when making all the running in 27.42 (+20), and Infortherun (6/4F), who was given a good mention in my Banksie’s Five To Follow column last Friday. 


She made an impressive winning debut in A3 last time out and took the step up to Open Class company in her stride, making all the running for a length and a quarter victory in 27.86 (+20)



“Max” shows his Calibre in all the way success at Doncaster

There were just the three Open’s at Doncaster on Saturday night, and it would have been a good night for those backing the fancied runners, with two favourites and a second favourite obliging for the three locally trained winners.


Kirsty Grayson’s Maximum Calibre (4/5F) made all the running in the 483m contest to land a hat-trick of Open Race victories by a length and a quarter from Peter Harnden’s Salacres Slick in a time of 29.44 (+10)


In the 450m Maiden contest, Jimmy Gaskin’s Swift Jeromo (10/11F) also made all in the running in impressive fashion by five lengths, recording a personal best time of 27.62 (+10) to make it three wins from his last four starts, with Harnden again finishing runner up with Salacres Elmejor.


Hoping to go one place better in the final Open of the evening,a sprint contest over 275m, Harnden’s Salacres Bullet went to the traps as the 8/11F, and having gained an early lead on exit, that victory looked to be on the cards. However, Ricky Overton’s Send For You (6/4) was able to hit the front rounding the first bend and was able record a lengths a quarter victory, stopping the clock in 16.86 (+5)

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