Irish National appears on Answer To Kayf's agenda

Answer To Kayf secured a decisive victory in the novice handicap chase at Naas under a confident John Shinnick.

The 7/4 favourite tracked El Champo over this extended two-miles-four-furlongs and led narrowly in jumping two out.

Shinnick could afford a peek over his left shoulder on the run to the last and his partner wasn't troubled in asserting.

A good jump at the last saw him move clear and he hacked up by 12 lengths over Canal End (9/2) who plugged on for second. El Champo (13/2) was 10 lengths further back in third.

Answer To Kayf finished fourth in last season's Martin Pipe at the Cheltenham Festival and was making his third start over fences (fourth in beginners' chase at Fairyhouse and fifth in a beginners' at this track).

Terence O'Brien said: “I suppose heavy ground makes a huge difference and a drop in class. It just goes to show how good those beginners' chases are as he couldn’t get a blow in.

“We’re hoping to go to Cheltenham with him, but I suppose the handicapper is going to give him a fair lump for that.

“The 2m4f novice handicap chase is the only one he can run in. There is a 3m5f novice as well, but you have to be in the first four over three miles and he hasn’t run over three miles.

“The owners are thrilled and get a great buzz out of it. This has been a dream horse for them.

“At the end of the year an Irish National might not be out of the question.”

Additional reporting by Alan Magee