Shishkin given go ahead for swift Newcastle return

PA Sport Reporters
November 29, 2023 9:38 am

Grade One winner to contest Rehearsal Chase following Ascot refusal.

Nicky Henderson has confirmed Shishkin will join esteemed stablemate Constitution Hill on the trip to Newcastle to contest Saturday’s BetMGM Rehearsal Chase.

With the multiple Grade One winner having refused to start in last weekend’s 1965 Chase at Ascot, the Seven Barrows handler admitted to being in a quandary as to what to do with his star chaser as he looks to get his season back on track ahead of a planned tilt at the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.

With alternative options limited, Henderson revealed on Sunday that Shishkin could make a swift reappearance in the north east, with Constitution Hill already making the long journey from Lambourn to Gosforth Park as he looks to secure back-to-back victories in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

Just to keep everybody informed, Shishkin will run in the Rehearsal Chase on Saturday. Everything is fine with him, and he’ll travel up to Newcastle on Friday with Constitution Hill.
— Nicky Henderson (@sevenbarrows) November 29, 2023

And while a lofty rating of 173 means Shishkin will have to carry 12 stone and concede upwards of 21lb to each of his rivals in Saturday’s finale, he has been given the go ahead to take his chance.

In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Henderson said: “Just to keep everybody informed, Shishkin will run in the Rehearsal Chase on Saturday.

“Everything is fine with him, and he’ll travel up to Newcastle on Friday with Constitution Hill.”