Conditions key to Answer To Kayf’s target

More big days could await Answer To Kayf after his valuable victory in the Troytown Chase at Navan on Sunday.

The nine-year-old is trained by Terence O’Brien and was an 11-1 shot for the Grade Three under conditional rider John Shinnick, who has ridden the horse in nearly all of his starts so far.

The gelding came to the fore in heavy ground to take the spoils and similar conditions will be crucial to his plans throughout the rest of the season.

“He’s come out of it 100 per cent, we’re weighing up our options as to where we want to go with him next,” said O’Brien.

“The Paddy Power at Leopardstown at Christmas is one option and the Welsh Grand National is another one.

“We’re not sure as we’d need to be guaranteed soft ground, it seems to be the key to him.

“Whether he’d stay three miles and six furlongs in heavy ground I don’t know, we’re debating it. If we get wet weather we might go for the Paddy Power and if not we might go for the Welsh National.”

Reflecting on Answer To Kayf’s Troytown victory, O’Brien added: “It was great to win a big handicap like that, a prestigious race like the Troytown that is so well known.

“It’s great for a small yard, especially with the competition that we have over here in Ireland.”