Shishkin (7-4 favourite) stayed on superbly to beat Ahoy Senor (4-1) and win the Alder Hey Aintree Bowl Chase on the opening day of 2023 Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree Racecourse. And now the King George VI Chase at Kempton and the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup next March are the targets for next season.
Nicky Henderson's nine-year-old, under Nico De Boinville, showed he has plenty of stamina to get up and wear down long-time leader Ahoy Senor late on to land the Grade One contest by a length and a half. Having been a star two-miler, Shishkin has slowly been moving up in trip. Having won his first 10 completed starts over obstacles, a run which included successive victories at the Cheltenham Festival and three Grade Ones, he stuttered last season. But he excelled over 2m5f in the Betfair Chase at Ascot in December, before disappointing slightly when beaten by Envoi Allen in the Ryanair Chase at last month’s. But at Aintree, stepped up to three-miles-plus for the first time he was a back in the winner's enclosure.
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Now he has proven his stamina all options are open for next season. Henderson said: "He's a very good horse and that was a very good race, fair play to Ahoy Senor, he was going well in the Gold Cup when he came down. It was a genuine Grade One race. We were almost here to find out who was second best – without Bravemansgame we haven't really solved that. He was so much better today than at Cheltenham. He does finish very well, he's tough and he stays but he is getting quite lazy in his races. He's won that by staying – his first race over three miles – so the trainer has got it wrong for the last two years, we know that!
"We admitted that after the Tingle Creek, he won a Grade One over two-mile-five at Ascot, we thought we were right staying at that trip in the Ryanair but to be honest he wouldn't have won over any trip. There were a few issues, he was very sore all over and we've had lots of people working on him. We took the tongue tie off as he didn't like that. We've got to tweak things and that's our job. I think it's body not mind."
On next season, Henderson added: "Three miles is where we'll stay, we won't be coming back. I know the Gold Cup is not much further than this but it is a different track. The obvious place is the King George, then take it from there. Whether you go Betfair and then King George, you are fairly limited in your options but the King George is the obvious target. He won't go to Punchestown now.
"He used to be very straightforward but like everybody, he gets a bit creaky. We had the four weeks and it's all worked. When you are racing over three miles you want them racing lazily, you don't want them to be keen when you up them in trip. You'd rather see him wake up a little bit more, we'll see, I might have a few more tricks yet."
Trainer Lucinda Russell, who has the favourite Corach Rambler in Saturday's Grand National, was happy with runner-up Ahoy Senor, despite the defeat. She said: "I'm exceedingly proud of him and let's face it, Shishkin is a fabulous horse who keeps galloping. It must have been hard for Brian (Hughes) who had never ridden him before, but he thought he had them at the last. I think he got tired eight strides before the last, he made that mistake and he was slightly on the back foot."
A Plus Tard was the only other finisher in the five-runner heat, with Conflated and Ga Law both pulled up. Having been pulled up in both the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park and Cheltenham Gold Cup on his two starts this season.
He said: "Obviously he didn't finish off the race as well as we would have liked but there were still positives. It was effectively his first run of the year, and Rachael (Blackmore) said he jumped and travelled well but got tired. She was happy with him until then and he's heading back in the right direction. We are happier than we were and that will be it because he's so much better going left-handed, and we won't look towards Punchestown."
