KALASHNIKOV – winner of the Betfair Hurdle and second in the Supreme Novices – has long held favouritism for the Arkle Chase, the plan to go chasing with him dating back to spring, at least, with reports he’d schooled well before being sent for his summer break.

Predictably for a top-class novice chaser he made his reappearance in a small field at Warwick where he made light work of dispatching a couple of circa-130 hurdlers.