King to make Doncaster return

Ferdy Murphy hopes to get his Queen Mother Champion Chase hope Kalahari King back on the course at Doncaster next month.

Last year’s Arkle Trophy runner-up and Aintree Grade One winner has yet to make his seasonal debut after suffering a setback.

However he is back on track now and Murphy is targeting the Flying Scotsman Handicap Chase over an extended two miles at Doncaster on February 6.

“He’s good and we’ve got him back on track and he goes to Doncaster for a run there,” said the West Witton trainer.

“It’s an open handicap, there’s nowhere else for him to go really. Hopefully we’ll get good ground.

“He had a splint and it just flared up. We didn’t know what the problem was for a long time then it came out.

“He had X-rays and scans and nothing showed up, then low and behold he threw one (a splint). You wouldn’t think at his age he’d get one, but they do.

“It was just one of those things. Hopefully he’ll get to Doncaster and we’ll make more plans after that.”

Kalahari King is a top-priced 10-1 for the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.