Amy Murphy targets Old Roan Chase return for stable star Kalashnikov

Kalashnikov, who gave trainer Amy Murphy her first success at the highest level at Aintree in April, will return to the Merseyside track for his seasonal return this month.

The six-year-old, who won the Grade 1 Devenish Manifesto Novices' Chase over 2m4f on his final start of last season, will reappear in the Grade 2 Virgin Bet Monet's Garden Old Roan Chase over the same course and distance on October 27.

She said: "Kalashnikov has enjoyed his summer holidays and has done very well out at grass. He's been in for some time now and we've been able to get him on to the grass gallops since the rain arrived recently.

"If everything goes to plan the dream would be the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, but that's a long way away and he'll have a couple of races before that."

Kalashnikov, who is 20-1 with William Hill for the Ryanair, has run twice at the Cheltenham Festival. He produced a fine performance to finish second in the 2018 Supreme Novices' Hurdle, but his outing at last season's festival did not go to plan as he unseated his rider at the sixth fence when badly hampered in the Arkle.

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Murphy said: "There are a number of options after Aintree in that we could drop him back to two miles or step him up to three.

"There's also a handicap chase at Cheltenham in December which Frodon [who also won the Old Roan and the Ryanair Chase] won last year and I would have no worries about running him off his handicap mark of 155 in races such as that. We'll decide after Aintree, but there's also a race at Leopardstown over Christmas to consider."

Murphy added: "We've got many more Flat horses than jumpers and the plan at the start of the Flat season was to beat last year's tally of 17. Due to everyone's hard work we're already on 18 and if we can get to 20 that would be brilliant."

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