With the sad passing of Shishkin, I’ve done something a shade different today. Rather than a NAP of the Day, I wanted to look back at a horse who really captured the spirit of National Hunt racing.
Arriving into Nicky Henderson’s yard after two starts in the point to point world, Shishkin made just the one start in bumpers at the back end of the 2018/19 season. An easy eight length victory at Kempton was followed by a Summer at grass and we had to wait until nearly the close of the year to see him make his first start over hurdles at Newbury. I recall being at the track that day and was keen to see what he had to offer over hurdles. The anticipation was quickly popped by an early fall. Despite that, he then got up and ran the entire race loose and jumped the remaining hurdles, something that is rarely seen. Next time out at Newbury on heavy winter ground he drifted in the betting before giving Shakem Up’arry a double-digit lengths beating.
He heads onto Huntingdon to win the Sydney Banks before his novice season culminates in a gutsy win in the Supreme at the Cheltenham Festival. The win came in what looked a deep field. Sent off at 6/1, he got the better of Abacadabras by a head. This was the first real emergence of a superstar at the top level.
Expectations were high the following season, which was matched by his performances during his novice chase season. He ran five times and had SP’s of 1/6, 1/3, 1/7, 4/9 and 1/8. Empathic win after empathic win followed and sadly the clash between him and Energumene in the Arkle wasn’t to be with Willie Mullins’ rising star missing the meeting due to injury. That clash however was looming and was something racing fans weren’t going to have to wait long to see.
It was a while before we got the chance to see Shishkin again, he ended his novice chase season with a win at Aintree, the Tingle Creek, and was missed before a pleasing return to action at Kempton in the Derset Orchid Chase. It was the perfect return, a ten-length easy win which looked set to have him spot on for the Clarence House Chase in January.
As hyped clashes in jumps racing go, the modern era is sadly lacking in seeing these take place outside the Cheltenham Festival, but the build up and anticipation for Shishkin v Energumene was truly something a bit different. A ding dong battle of a race emerged and gave fans a proper match up, Shishkin won but at times looked beaten, the guts required to get up after the last was a true testament to his character.
The rematch at Cheltenham sadly was somewhat of a non event for Shishkin, pulled up at the eighth fence he never really looked like he was on a going day and some wondered if the effort in January had perhaps left a mark.
Shishkin returned to action in the Tingle Creek and for the first time in nearly two years was sent off odds against. He kicked at the start but was allowed to race it again and it just felt like something wasn’t quite right with him. He was flat out all the way and in truth, probably only his class got him to end up third. The trainer confirmed a step up in trip would be the next move, with it came an impressive win over two mile five at Ascot. It was a really joyous moment to see a star back to what felt like his best, the next logical step was the Ryanair. Come Cheltenham, he was sent off the even money favourite. Watching the race back now its amazing despite doing so much wrong he ends up a gallant second.
His last run of the 22/23 season came up in trip again, as he tackled three miles for the first time with a fine win at Aintree keeping on well to beat Ahoy Senor. Turning in he still had plenty to do and trailed at two out, it was his usual rattling finish that was required him to get out of trouble and saw him stay on past Ahoy Senor. After the race it was the King George that became the target for the following season and gave us all plenty to get excited about.
His final Summer on grass saw him return to kick off his season at Ascot where the drama unfolded prior to the race as Shishkin refused to race. Plenty was discussed and digested from the recent changes to the starting procedure, which had just been implemented, to what Nicky Henderson could do prior to the Kempton showpiece race at Boxing Day with a real determination to avoid going to Kempton without a run to iron out this new kink.
What followed was a little bit of a circus, the weather caused havoc with plans A and B for getting a run into him. Newcastle lost the Fighting Fifth due to weather, where a spin over hurdles was going to be an option. He moved to Sandown the following week, where he got taken out due to the going and thus it was a racecourse gallop at Kempton that was left to put him spot on for the King George. Boxing Day arrived and it was all eyes on the enigmatic chaser to jump off. Jump off he did and fast forward to the second last where he somehow ends up unseating Nico De Boinville. A collective gasp came from the Kempton grandstand, if he would have won the race was open to debate and many felt he would have claimed the King George.
His last ever win was to come at his local track Newbury in the Denman where he came clear of Hitman and the reception he got was utterly fantastic. Sadly, due to issues with the yard he skipped the chance to run in the Gold Cup which would have been such an interesting sight. His final start came at Aintree where after a few little errors he ran a fair fourth. He had been set to head to Punchestown prior to his sad demise this week. He certainly will be remembered very fondly by racing fans and was unquestionably a star of the National Hunt game.
