Trainer Amy Murphy's hurdling superstar of last year Kalshnikov is set to make his longly anticipated chase debut over fences at Wawrick in the Class 3 Novices Chase at 14:00.
Last season the five year old enjoyed a really productive campaign over hurdles winning the Betfair hurdle at Newbury and valiantly going down in defeat at the Cheltenham Festival to Summerville Boy on the line in the Supreme Novices Hurdle.
This season he will be set about over jumps and is already before racing over the new obstacles a general 7/1 shot to take the Arkle Trophy at this years festival. He will be up against a scheduled three other runners on Friday at Warwick in which his price may shorten after the race if going on to win the race well.
This youngster is the light of her trainers light and to get him back ready for the season in such good shape would have been a dream come true to Amy Murphy but she isn't seeing him going over a fences and taking to it straight away as a full gone conclusion.
(Credit At The Races) She said: “We could have done with a bit more rain, but we are where we are. I’ll go up to the track early in the morning and check we’re happy with the ground.
“It’s exciting for the team to get him started. Whatever he does tomorrow he will come on for it as we’ve not been able to get the horses on the grass yet because the weather has been so dry.
“It’s no easy task for him, but as long as he has a clean round of jumping and learns a lot we’ll be happy.“It will be great to get his season under way.”
Kalashnikov’s three opponents that set to race against him in the £50 Risk Free On Racing With Smarkets Novices’ Chase are the Alex Hales-trained Huntsman Son, Charlie Longsdon’s Lisdoonvarna Lad and Scorpion Sid from Jamie Snowden’s yard.