Rookie trainer Amy Murphy is excited about the prospect of training her first Grade One winner at Sandown Park on Saturday when the potentially high-class Kalashnikov runs in the G1 Tolworth Hurdle at the Surrey venue.
Murphy is a dual-purpose trainer who has enjoyed success with horses including Mercian Prince and Mariah’s Legend but Kalashnikov is beyond doubt the yard’s stable star.
Winner of all three of his starts under rules, the five-year-old son of Kalanisi landed a bumper at Wetherby last season and has responded well to hurdling this season. A facile 10-length victor of a Novices’ Hurdle at Wetherby, in which he deposed of the useful Al Shahir, was followed up with a devastating display at Doncaster in which he justified 4/7 favouritism to beat the Emma Lavelle-trained Irish Prophecy by the same margin.
Murphy is relishing the prospect of tackling Grade One company with the Irish-bred gelding and believes he has a live chance of landing the G1 event.
Kalashnikov is a general 11/4 shot along with market rival, Warren Greatrex’s Western Ryder.
Murphy said:
He’s in good order and we’re looking forward to it. Obviously it’s a big step up in class, but he’s been very professional in everything he’s done so far. The ground is probably softer than ideal, but we’ll have a better idea of where we stand after the race. It’s very exciting and to have a horse of his calibre in our first season is brilliant.
