MAGICAL BLUEBEAR landed 93-year-old Perry Barr trainer Bill Russell and his family a first major success with their first Category One finalist as the Midlands raider starred in the final of the Arena Racing Company Silver Salver at Central Park.

Continuing a theme this year of trainers securing their first Category One titles, Magical Bluebear and the Russell family followed wins in 2024 for Paul Burr (Roxys Bullet, Coral Essex Vase), Kevin Proctor (Front Alice, Coral Golden Sprint), Kevin Ferguson (Acomb Felix, British Breeders Forum Stakes), Richard Wales (Farneys Willie, Arc Grand Prix) and Tony Harmes (Kilwest Ranger, Arc Laurels).

Lining up vying for favouritism with fast-trapping My Lennie (15-8F), Magical Bluebear (2-1) paced up to join issue within a matter of strides and the duo went head to head into the first bend and onwards, with the Perry Barr raider swinging into the lead rounding the second bend and going on for a length and three-quarter success in 16.24sec (normal) for the 277m trip, the fastest in the competition.

The victory for the Patrick Guilfoyle-bred June 2022 son of Good News and Magical Gem will have been noted by breeding buffs given the latter, a 28.83sec Galway winner, was bred by Kevin Hutton and is a daughter of super-dam Forest Natalee. Magical Gem’s littermates from that brilliant January 2020 batch by Magical Bale include the likes of Signet Goofy, Signet Denver, Signet Otis and Moments Of Magic.

The win delighted Mark Russell, son of trainer Bill, who was on hand to collect the trophy along with his daughter Emily, on behalf of Magical Bluebear’s owners Karen and Gary Phillips who couldn’t be at Central Park but watched the action unfold online.

Russell said: “It was a dream come true for us all on Saturday. Dad has been training dogs for over 50 years and, as a family, we have great memories of racing dogs round Willenhall and Monmore in the 70s and 80s, Norton Canes in the 80s and 90s and Hall Green for some six years before the track closed, and Perry Barr since 2017.

“He turned 93 last October so, although he’s wound down on training now, I’ve always wanted to keep the licence in his name. He loves nothing more than visiting Perry Barr when he can and watching the dogs run on the TV at home.

“We’re very much a small family-run kennel based in Telford, Shropshire with myself, my wife Lesley, and daughter Emily working with the dogs day to day. My son, Will, also helps out when he’s home from London and was at Central Park for Saturday’s big final. We also have three part-time kennelhands who work really hard with the dogs.

“A special mention goes to my nephew Lee who did most of the travelling to Central Park with Bluebear. We couldn’t have done this without him.

“We’re delighted for his owners Garry and Karen, who unfortunately couldn’t make it in person. They were thrilled and excited to make the final, so winning was the cherry on top. This is their biggest win since being connected to the very successful Magical Bale.

“We got the dog from the Guilfoyles, who have been close family friends since Ms Firecracker won the Irish Oaks in 2007, a night never to be forgotten. Our friend Tom Ace sourced the dog from Pat for Garry and Karen.

“We’d like to pass on our thanks to Central Park for the hospitality on Saturday – the track itself was also running perfectly. Many thanks to Arc as sponsors, too.

“As for Bluebear himself, we thought we’d chance the Silver Salver after his wins at Towcester and Monmore. The original plan was to step him up gradually to four bends but he’d been posting some very decent sprint clocks so thought we’d keep him sprinting for the foreseeable.

“We‘re very grateful to be training him for Garry and Karen – he’s a special dog to have in the kennel.”

Emily Russell, Mark’s daughter and Bill’s granddaughter, added: “He’s not aware I’m doing this, but I’d like to give dad a special mention. Like many other trainers up and down the country he has dedicated his life to training greyhounds, but a Category One win like this makes the extremely long hours worth it.

“He rarely has a day off, and really deserves the recognition that comes with Bluebear’s win. I’m also so proud of Blue. He clocked 16.10sec in his second ever trial for us at Perry Barr and that’s when we knew he was special. He’s now won five out of nine races at five different tracks and we’re excited to see what the future has in store for him.”