Henderson weighing up options for Shishkin

PA Sport Reporters
December 28, 2023 10:38 am

Chaser to stay at three miles with Gold Cup his main objective.

Cheltenham and Newbury are two possible ports of call for Shishkin following his following his luckless run in the King George VI Chase at Kempton.

The nine-year-old was leading the field after jumping the penultimate fence in the Boxing Day highlight, only to stumble a couple of strides after the obstacle and unseat Nico de Boinville.

That was Shishkin’s first run of the campaign after he refused to start at Ascot in November and trainer Nicky Henderson felt he would have been staying on all the way to the line were it not for his mishap.

Shishkin (right) was running a fine race in the King George before coming unstuck (Steven Paston/PA)

He said: “Shishkin is fine. I was a bit concerned that he might have hit something and occurred some damage but he doesn’t appear to have done so I’m 100 per cent happy on that front. It was just one of those things I guess.

“I’m not going to say he would have won, but the consensus of opinion is that he probably would have done as he wasn’t stopping.

“He was really coming up at every fence, and he seemed to be travelling well. I’m pretty sure he would have kept on galloping as he galloped all the way to the line at Aintree.

“Our biggest concern was that he hadn’t had a run. When he has not had a run he controls us, but we are now in control as he has got that run under his belt and he will be a much easier horse to train.”

Shishkin was having just his second start at three miles at Kempton, having previously delivered eight chase victories up to two miles and five furlongs, including the 2021 Arkle, the 2022 Clarence House Chase and the 2023 Ascot Chase.

Henderson switched Shishkin to three miles and a furlong for the Aintree Bowl back in April and he has the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase (January 27) and the Betfair Denman Chase (February 10) over staying trips on his mind.

The trainer said: “I don’t know what to do at the moment and we are just mulling it over. I don’t think we will come back in trip for the Ascot Chase, even though he did win that last year.

“You have got the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham and the Denman Chase at Newbury and they are the only two real possibilities for him before the Gold Cup.

“It will either be one of them, or none of them, but what he needs is experience and a nice clear round.”

Shishkin was a wide-margin winner of the Ascot Chase last season (Steven Paston/PA)

While Shishkin was out of luck at Kempton, Jango Baie ensured the team did secure Grade One glory in the Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

Previously run as the Tolworth at Sandown in January, the rescheduled and renamed contest produced a fine finish as Jango Baie held off Favour And Fortune by just under three lengths in the hands of James Bowen.

Henderson could now look to edge up in distance from an extended two miles with the four-year-old, as the trainer has strength in depth in the novice hurdle sphere with the likes of Jeriko Du Reponet and Willmount taking high order.

James Bowen wins his FIRST Grade 1! 🙌
JANGO BAIE the inaugural winner of the @WillHillRacing Formby Hurdle! pic.twitter.com/dz5NGCB3cv
— Aintree Racecourse (@AintreeRaces) December 26, 2023

“It was great for James Bowen to get his first Grade One as he is a big part of the team here at Seven Barrows. He deserved it and so did the horse, while it was great to get a Grade One for his connections,” said Henderson.

“I’d like to see him run over a little bit further as I’m not sure that trip was far enough for him at Aintree.

“I’ve got a couple of other nice prospects to run this weekend, so we will see what they do then we will make a plan.”