'It's not a firm decision but a pretty likely one' - Henderson confirms Shishkin all but certain to head to Ryanair

Nicky Henderson is preparing to explore the full range of options with brilliant Ascot Chase winner Shishkin in an ambitious spring campaign, although he is likely to play things straight with the nine-year-old's next start at the Cheltenham Festival.

The dual festival hero roared back to form in the Betfair-sponsored Grade 1 on Saturday in what was his first try at two miles five furlongs over fences, and Henderson is in full agreement with bookmakers that the intermediate trip of the Ryanair Chase will provide Shishkin with his best chance of success.

After a laboured display in the Tingle Creek in December, Henderson elected not to even enter Shishkin in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase over two miles, a race in which he was pulled up last season as he was subsequently laid low by a rare bone condition.

Twenty-four hours on from an emotional success at Ascot, Henderson all but ruled out supplementing the Sholokov gelding for next month's Champion Chase, while his entry in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup does not appear to tempt the trainer of 72 festival successes.

Shishkin has clearly had his issues since Cheltenham last year and underwent a wind operation following his run in the Tingle Creek, so it was with some relief that Henderson reported Joe and Marie Donnelly's star chaser to be in A1 shape on Sunday.

"He’s great this morning, sound as a pound," said Henderson. "He’s eaten up, drunk everything, I’m very happy with him."

Asked about plans for where Shishkin goes next, Henderson told the Racing Post: "I don’t say it’s a firm decision but it’s a pretty likely one.

"He won’t be coming back to two miles, that I can nearly guarantee, and I’d hardly go from here straight up to three and a quarter miles.

"The nicest way to do it would be to go Ryanair and then there’s four weeks this year between Cheltenham and Aintree, so it would be possible you could try him over three miles at Aintree. Then we’d know where to go next season. That would be my long-term and only idea that I could give you."

Shishkin notched a remarkable 12 wins from his first 13 starts under rules until being pulled up when sent off the 5-6 favourite at Cheltenham last March. And a notable feature of the way that Henderson campaigned him was the way he was able to successfully back up two runs in around four weeks, something he has achieved four times in as many tries.

In both his novice season over hurdles and his first two campaigns over fences, Shishkin won in December and January, while in 2021 he followed his victory in the Arkle at Cheltenham with another Grade 1 success at Aintree 25 days later.

Shishkin: ran all the way to the line at Ascot over 2m5fCredit: Alan Crowhurst

With an extra week between the two feature meetings of the British jump racing calendar this season, Henderson has no qualms about targeting the Bowl over a flat three miles one furlong, assuming all goes well in the Ryanair four weeks and one day earlier.

Henderson said: "We’ve got three and a half weeks to Cheltenham and then four weeks to Aintree. They’re well spaced out.

"It was great to see him back, that was the old Shishkin again."

Ryanair Chase (March 16, 2.50, Cheltenham)

Coral: 5-4 Shishkin, 3 Blue Lord, 5 Fury Road, 8 Janidil, 10 Fakir D'Oudairies, 12 Envoi Allen, 14 French Dynamite, 16 Ga Law, 20 bar

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