NOVICES have a fine recent record in Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle and Amy Murphy’s Kalashnikov boosted it still further on Saturday.

Previously an honourable second in Sandown’s Tolworth Hurdle, the five-year-old came from off the pace to lead between the last two and pull four and a half lengths clear of Willie Mullins’ Bleu Et Rouge. Spiritofthegames and Coeur Blimey came next, but the field was well spread out on testing ground.

The winner is trained at Newmarket, unusual where big National Hunt races are concerned, and is the star of Murphy’s small string. At 25 she is Britain’s youngest trainer, having spent six months with Gai Waterhouse in Australia before becoming assistant to Luca Cumani.

Winning jockey Jack Quinlan was celebrating his biggest success in Britain’s richest handicap hurdle, which achieved lasting fame as the Schweppes many years ago.

Lightly raced, Kalashnikov had won a Wetherby bumper and novice hurdles there and at Doncaster before his one setback at Sandown. He dismissed older horses with ease last week and there is every reason to go for the Supreme Novices’ at Cheltenham.

“It’s unbelievable. He’s romped home,” the trainer said. “I’m not very good at watching them, I couldn’t see him halfway round and couldn’t pick him up on commentary. Then, when they tuned for home, I could see what was left of his white face in the murk.

“Jack is very underrated and has shown today that he can go and do it when he has the horse.

“He formed a partnership with Kalashnikov from day one and has been the making of him.”

Kalashnikov became the fifth novice in the last six years to win the Betfair and punters made him 8/1 co-favourite. There were other novices in the field but the filly Irish Roe possibly found this coming too soon after a gruelling battle at Doncaster.

Future horses to note may be Harry Fry’s Misterton, absent since November but prominent the whole way here on ground plenty soft enough and only beaten as they jumped the penultimate flight. The County Hurdle may be the race for him.