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Ascot seem to be the proud owners of an in-force irrigation licence.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Sounds like he’s all set for it.
Looking forward to cheering home Pic D’orhy from the top of the stands.
I went to this last year as well and the weather was atrocious so I’m hoping this year it’s a bit more favourable.
I also got rather carried away on the peronis last year so need to do better to at maintaining the ability to speak coherently. Ms Cider didn’t see the funny side of me wandering off after racing only to return back to the hotel at 2am barely able to stand
He was highly impressive today and he should be the short-priced Ryanair favorite. But with Allaho out this seems the softest target of all of them.
In a normal world with only the CC and the GC to run in, I would go for he bigger pot. Why not?
Great to see him back, would love to see him in the GC; the curse of the Ryanair strikes again
Who knows how long he will stay sound for.
Strike while the iron is hot and go for the Gold Cup.
Understand the sentiment but going over 3m2f for the first time in the Gold Cup without even trying 3m first seems a very un Nicky like move to make – I would assume that if he wins the Ryanair then maybe the 3m Betbowl (or whatever they call it nowdays) at Aintree may come into consideration but for sure they would be looking at next season’s King George as a stepping stone to a Gold Cup.
Personally, I am still of the opinion that while he may stay the trip in the Gold Cup there are better stayers around and I think that trip could be stretching him beyond his optimum to the extent where his natural ability would not be enough to get away with it over that trip.
Still can’t convince me that he shouldn’t have been entered for just the QMCC as his Tingle Creek run was perfectly satisfactory considering the enforced time he had off and the the lack of race fitness that caused him to make the mistake at the Pond Fence, that would have knocked the wind out of him and any chance he had went there….interesting to note on the RP write up for the race it stated that he had been kicked by another horse at the start as well.
Also what was interesting to note was that Chapman on SSR interviewed Nico and asked him whether Shishkin being off the bridle in the Tingle Creek could have simply been a result of him being rusty coming back of a long injury layoff rather than not being quick enough anymore and Nico said he didn’t really know either way…….which makes me question the immediate thought that he simply needed to go up in trip rather than find out for sure whether 2m was too sharp for him now.
Given the way he travelled today a case could be made that now that he is clearly more race fit than at Sandown, he would have been able to travel the same at 2m pace…….doubt we will ever really know now that he has shown 2m5f is no problem.
Ryanair then a prep race before the KG next season
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
I seriously doubt that 2 miles on fast ground would suit him nowadays. After watching today’s race three times I always come to the same conclusion: he really got going inside the final 300 yards. He needed every yard of the trip and that’s the luxury of having the Ryanair.
While the Gold Cup is five furlongs further, it still remains the race you want to win. The Donellys have already tasted GC success twice with Al Boum Photo, but Shishkin deserves to line-up for the race. Nine years seems the perfect age for me.
If I owned him, he’d go Gold Cup. He’s from a staying family, and realistically he has to go for it this year, or never. The race looks pretty open.
In an ideal world, the Festival Trophy would be a Gd2, or even a Ltd H’Cap and the Melling/ Aintree Bowl would be his Gd1 target. Then step him up next season….
I’ve seen comments on social media about dropping back in trip to 2m. Really?? Go and watch his races….he’s flat out over that distance….even when he beat Enugermene, he needed all of the 2m to get there.
Hendo at Newbury today said what I had mention that the Betbowl would potentially be a consideration being that Cheltenham and Aintree are 4 weeks apart this year.
Not sure 3m would be an issue (especially around speedier tracks like Aintree & Kempton) but Cheltenham’s 3m2f has found out a whole lot of great 3m horses over the years (Pendil, Wayward Lad & Florida Pearl to name just a few) and we know what that trip did to One Man who had previously won a Hennessy over 3m2f.
I would imagine if all goes to plan in the Ryanair then it will either be onto Aintree (Betbowl or even the Melling Chase) or if he misses that then maybe the 2m6f Oaksey Chase Sandown end of the season before a prep (maybe the Peterborough Chase?) before the King George and then the Denman Chase and then the Gold Cup.
Get him in the Gold Cup!
Everything about the horse says he’ll stay the trip no problem.
Only way I’d go for a weak Ryanair would be if the going was like a bog. If it’s decent ground get him in the showpiece instead of a glorified handicap!
Outside Galopin Des Champs (who I think he’s better than). Other than a possibly rejuvenated A Plus Tard he’s not much to beat has he? If he does stay the trip he’d be way too classy for the rest in my eyes…
Even though he doesn’t have that many miles on the clock its difficult to see him improving next season as a ten year old. Strike while the iron is hot and go for the GC now.
The Ryanair deprived us of Vautour, Allaho, and now Shishkin; it’s pernicious influence on the Blue Riband of NH racing continues to grow. Imagine how spectacular the last two GCs would have been with Allaho hammering away at the front end
Agree it would have been good to see him in the Gold Cup but safely does it Henderson was never going to run him in it this season, was he? It is academic because he has ruled it out anyway.
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