Ben Linfoot Saturday analysis | Shishkin shines in Doncaster spotlight
Ben Linfoot assesses the day's events at Doncaster with an eye on the Cheltenham Festival as Shishkin motors towards the Sporting Life Arkle in style.
The spotlight doesn’t always shine on Doncaster in the last weekend of January. Trials Day at Cheltenham usually casts a significant shadow over Town Moor – and shadows are the last thing they need in South Yorkshire when it’s as cold as this (the meeting was abandoned, due to frost, in 2010, 2011 and 2013).
This time the weather was at its worst in the Cotswolds, a waterlogged track denying several top horses a final run around Cheltenham before the Festival in March. It has grown in stature, Trials Day, with 19 Festival winners having had a run on the card in the last six years. With just over six weeks to go to the Festival, the timing is perfect for many.
But this Doncaster meeting is well used to priming Cheltenham Festival winners, as well.
You have to go back in time a bit and I’m going to go back to 1998 for exhibit one, Unsinkable Boxer, who ran on the Friday card at this Doncaster meeting, impressively winning a three-mile novices’ hurdle before going onto land a huge gamble in the Unicoin Homes Handicap Hurdle Final, now the Pertemps, at Cheltenham the same season.
The year after that Tim Easterby’s Barton won the River Don by 19 lengths before going onto Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle glory and in 2002 there were two Cheltenham winners that prepped on this Doncaster card; Frenchman’s Creek and Ilnamar, who were both beaten on Town Moor before notching handicap successes at the Festival.
Then there was An Accordion in 2008. He won the Sky Bet Chase and the William Hill Trophy. Chapoturgeon did his own Doncaster-Cheltenham double a year later, culminating in Jewson handicap glory. And in 2012 Cape Tribulation was 14th in the Sky Bet Chase, reverted to hurdles, qualified for the Pertemps at Haydock in February and then won the Final in March.
There have been some high-profile horses strut their stuff at this Doncaster meeting, too, like Annie Power and Vroum Vroum Mag. Both won the Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle on this day, but both were beaten in their Festival assignments after winning at Doncaster.
But, in years to come, when we’re talking about the talented horses that have run on Sky Bet Chase day, perhaps none will be greater than SHISHKIN who is tanking through his novice chasing season without any hint of drama.
The seven-year-old has simply outclassed every rival he has faced in three novice chases this term and his assured jumping in the home straight, when Nico De Boinville asked him to shake off Eldorado Allen and win the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Lightning Novices’ Chase, was a sight to behold.
He might’ve been 1/7, but this was a potential banana skin in tacky, gluey, conditions with a dry and cold couple of days making the rain-softened ground hard work. It didn’t bother Shishkin, though, and he saw off his 149-rated rival like he had umpteen pounds and more in hand, which he had.
The Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy will represent his toughest challenge yet, Willie Mullins’ Energumene will likely see to that, but Shishkin has all the tools and the talent to win nine out of 10 Arkles – and that ratio might undersell his quality.
He looks to have the lot. His only semblance of a shifty moment came at the first open ditch down the back where he got in a bit close, but he didn’t lose any momentum and I find it very difficult to pick holes in his Arkle chance, for which he is now 8/11.
It seems likely, then, that he’ll be adding his name to that of Unsinkable Boxer, Barton, Frenchman’s Creek and more, as a horse that took in Doncaster late in January for his final prep race before landing Cheltenham Festival glory.
On an otherwise slightly underwhelming day, he was probably the only one.
The other Grade 2 winners, Miranda and The Cob, who won the Yorkshire Rose and the River Don respectively, have no Cheltenham entries, while the gallant Sky Bet Chase winner, Takingrisks, might’ve harmed his prospects of winning a second Scottish National if the handicapper frowns upon him taking down two progressive chasers in Aye Right and Cap Du Nord.
As Frenchman’s Creek and Cape Tribulation show, though, it’s worth looking out for spring clues among the beaten horses and although runner-up Aye Right ran another cracker, despite Callum Bewley dropping his whip three out, he is going to go up again in the handicap for this.
The one who caught my eye was CANELO, as I’m not sure the tacky ground was up his street and a tired jump two out checked his momentum. Tom Cannon went easy on him after the last with fourth assured and the handicapper will be leaving him where he is on 148.
Back on better ground in the spring, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him continue his progression and I wonder if he might be a likely type for the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, a race his trainer Alan King has won a couple of times with Fork Lightning and Bensalem.
There are a few ifs, buts and maybes with that idea, but not everything can be as certain as Shishkin’s foot-perfect journey through his novice-chasing season. It’s so far, so good as far as he’s concerned.