Amy Murphy can claim the biggest success of her burgeoning training career so far with Kalashnikov in tomorrow’s Betfair Hurdle (3.35) at Newbury.

The Betfair tends to be a strongly-run affair – over a little further than two miles – and Murphy’s five-year-old, pictured above, is the sort of powerful travelling novice hurdler with a turn of foot that fits the bill to land the £88,000 prize.

Kalashnikov remains very lightly raced, having had just four career starts, and looked a seriously impressive tool when bolting up on his debut over timber at Wetherby, thrashing a well-regarded sort of Dan Skelton’s, prior to a decisive victory at Doncaster a month later.

Unbeaten and touted as a lively Supreme outsider heading into the Tolworth, Jack Quinlan’s mount was a well-backed 2-1 favourite but laboured turning for home in gruelling conditions, only to respond gamely to the urgings of Quinlan, but failed to run down Summerville Boy, who relished the heavy ground. Conditions promise to be much more favourable at Newbury, with the going soft at the time of writing, and I fancy Kalashnikov will relish the long home straight and could have the touch of class needed to land this off 141.

In addition, excellent dual-purpose trainer Murphy remains in fine form, saddling three winners from eight runners over the past fortnight and I like the fact she’s stated this as Kalashnikov’s target ever since that Sandown defeat.

Nicky Henderson looks set to run five and in-form Jenkins looks the biggest danger of those, but I’m convinced this is an ideal test for Kalashnikov and he would be favourite if he was trained by a more well-known handler. He rates a serious bet at the 12-1 available.

Anthony Honeyball looks set to let Fountains Windfall take his chance in the Denman Chase (2.25) and it could prove a shrewd bit of placing from his handler.

The eight-year-old has a mixed record since switching to fences in November, with two wins and two falls from his four starts, but that doesn’t tell the whole story, as he looked set to go very close at Newbury when coming down three out, while he travelled like the winner on Boxing Day at Kempton before coming to grief.

Stepping out of novice company last time out, he absolutely bolted up off a mark of 146 at Kempton, thrashing Ballykan and The Young Master in the process, and now steps up to Graded company over his ideal trip. He’s only 6lb inferior to Gold Cup hopeful Native River on official ratings, but that rival is making his seasonal reappearance here and it’s very difficult to make a case for him at odds-on given he’s never won on seasonal debut.

Add in the factor Colin Tizzard’s yard have had a torrid time of things of late, and Fountains Windfall’s chances become even clearer. He rates a second proper bet of the day at 6-1.

At Chelmsford today, Shamrokh can back up his game victory 10 days ago at the same venue in the Tote Two In The First Three Handicap (3.40).

It had been a long time between drinks for Mick Appleby’s four-year-old, but he’s clearly talented and finally got his head in front over a mile, staying on late to collar My Amigo. A step back in trip here to 1m 2f should suit and Luke Morris takes over in the plate.

King Kevin rates the main danger, Fergal O’Brien’s charge having won four of his past five starts, but he’ll have to step up significantly again to get to Shamrokh, who may be able to rack up a sequence himself now the penny has dropped.