KALASH OF THE TITANS
AMY MURPHY was starstruck when Kalashnikov gunned down her idol at Newbury.
Now racing’s new kid on the block believes it can happen again on the biggest stage of all at Cheltenham.
Murphy has made a stunning impact in the early stages of running a yard and her brilliant five-year-old has been the headline horse for the team.
Britain’s youngest trainer, the 26 year-old is the daughter of leading breeder Paul Murphy and possesses an impressive background in the industry having started off riding out for the likes of Nicky Henderson.
Murphy progressed into learning the training ropes and worked under Luca Cumani and Tom Dascombe before moving to Australia to learn from Gai Waterhouse.
Branching out on her own to supervise her own string, the Newmarket-based golden girl is making big strides and can land a fairytale Festival winner in the opener.
Kalashnikov, who hammered runner-up Bleu Et Rouge by four-and-a-half lengths at Newbury last month in the Betfair Hurdle, is generally 5-1 second favourite behind the Willie Mullinstrained Getabird for the SkyBet Supreme Novices Hurdle.
Mullins also trains Blue Et Rouge and the exchange between the pair after the contest at Newbury left Murphy starry-eyed.
She said: “It was so surreal. I was a bit star-struck when I got a tap on the back in the Winners Enclosure and it was JP McManus to congratulate me and also Willie Mullins.
“You never think you’re going to be in the same enclosure as them.
“Willie actually came up and said, ‘Hi Amy, I’m Willie Mullins.’ I was like, ‘You don’t have to introduce yourself to me, you’re my idol’.
“When those things happen and you realise the calibre of people you’re with, it’s the stuff dreams are made of.”
Murphy has Mullins in her sights again ahead of Tuesday’s opener. Big-race jockey Jack Quinlan, who won on board for the sensational Grade 3 win in Berkshire, feels Kalashnikov is still being underrated.
After putting the stable star through his final serious workout in Newmarket yesterday morning, Quinlan said: “If this horse was trained by Willie and ridden by Ruby Walsh, he would be favourite for the Supreme and not Getabird, no doubt about it.
“To win the Betfair Hurdle like he did was fantastic and Barry Geraghty, who rode the second in the race, has since been very complimentary about the form and the feel of the race.”
Kalashnikov is going into the Supreme in top form and Quinlan added: “If he gets good or good to soft ground I think he could be even better than he showed at Newbury. If it’s soft he can cope with it. I’m trying not to think about the race too much but its a bit like a 10-year-old waiting for Christmas morning.
“It will really sink in when the declarations come out on Sunday.”
Murphy, who is adamant ground is not an issue and Kalashnikov will be even better on a sounder surface coming from the stock of Kalanisi, was sticking to a tried-and-tested pattern by schooling her big hope just five days before his biggest race.
She said: “We brought him here to pop over a few hurdles a few days before the Betfair Hurdle, so we’re sticking to the same routine.
“He measures his hurdles unbelievably well for a novice and travels, so we are hoping he has a good trip around Cheltenham.
“Despite the recent snows we’ve not missed a day with him as the Jockey Club did a fantastic job with the training grounds. We won’t be using that as an excuse if he gets beat.
“I’m pinching myself. You dream for years of finding a horse like this. To get one so early is so exciting for the entire team.”