Betfair Ascot Chase: Shishkin ‘flipped his palate’ in a piece of work and was forced to miss Saturday’s Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton. His trainer Nicky Henderson feels the timing looks excellent for his return in the Betfair Ascot Chase on February 18.
The Betfair Ascot Chase in February is where Nicky Henderson plans to run Shishkin next.
A step up in distance for the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton was ruled out when the Seven Barrows handler disclosed earlier this month that his nine-year-old had “flipped his palate” in a piece of work and would require 10 days off until the issue was remedied.
Shishkin will attempt a trip longer than two miles over jumps in the Grade One feature at Ascot next month after finishing third behind Edwardstone in the Tingle Creek Chase on his return this season.
Henderson provided an update on the situation at Kempton Park on Saturday, saying that the patient had his palate tightened. The technique is very straightforward; it’s similar to tightening a loose screw. They refer to it as a wind op, but it’s actually the furthest thing from one, and he’s back in action.
“The race we’re considering is the Ascot Chase over 2.5 miles on February 18th. The timing seems accurate.
“Against Energumene, when he was playing outside of his comfort zone but still persevered to defeat the rest, is when I first realised he wanted two and a half.
“We discovered that we had a difficulty, but after a few setbacks, he is ready to return, so I would say it is likely that we will head for the Ryanair [at Cheltenham].
“If this is successful, we might regret not entering him for the Queen Mother, but we could still run if we wanted to.
“He’s the latest in a line of really good horses like Sprinter [Sacre] who have had to come back.”
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