'It’s almost like our Cheltenham came a week later' - stable star Kalashnikov back to winning ways for Amy Murphy

Amy Murphy was understandably emotional after her stable flagbearer Kalashnikov got back to winning ways in the Prix Hubert de Navailles.

The ten-year-old took control of the 2m2f conditions hurdle race in the straight and stuck on gamely under Jack Quinlan to fend off the fast-finishing Indian De Gascogne by a short neck.

Kalashnikov finished second at the 2018 Cheltenham Festival in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle after success in the Betfair Hurdle and returned from a 648-day injury layoff at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

Kalashnikov was sixth on that comeback in the Rowland Meyrick and filled the same position in the Denman Chase at Newbury last month before scoring at odds of 12-1 in France.

“It means the absolute world,” said Murphy. “I’m delighted to see him back. I couldn’t believe the price of him. There were proper Grade 1 horses in there. He was running a screamer in the Denman and then just choked two out, so we just touched up his wind and I think that’s probably done the trick for him.”

Kalashnikov was winning for the first time since providing Murphy and Quinlan with their sole Grade 1 success in the Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree’s Grand National meeting in 2019.

“There’s been an awful lot of blood, sweat and tears that have gone into bringing him back,” said Murphy. “As ever, the man on board, Jack Quinlan, gave him a fantastic ride. We’ve had some big days together and to bring him out here and do it at a track like Auteuil, it’s fabulous. It’s almost like our Cheltenham came a week later. I’d say we’ll be back.”

Amy Murphy with Kalashnikov, who is highly likely to return to Auteuil after a successful first visitCredit: Steve Davies

Murphy is no stranger to success in France, having last year established a profitable three-month satellite yard operation near Chantilly.

Kalashnikov’s win capped off a unique treble for Murphy, whose Hawthorn Cottage took Market Rasen’s feature mares’ handicap chase on Tuesday, before Myconian landed a 4½f two-year-old maiden at Saint-Cloud on Thursday.

“It’s been a special week,” the Newmarket trainer said. “I’m just the name on the door, it takes a Herculean effort especially when I’ve probably been in France eight of the last ten days. My husband Lemos is running the ship at home and Liz Mason, my head girl, has just been incredible because we’ve got 60 horses still to be trained at home wherever I am.”

Burke beaten

There was other British-based interest on the card as Jonathan Burke rode the exciting Il Est Francais for the first time in the Prix Hypothese, but the 6-5 favourite could manage only fifth in the Grade 3 feature won by Theleme.

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