Could Shanagh Bob be another star novice for the supremely strong Nicky Henderson stable?

Nicky Henderson is usually the powerhouse among the British trainers when it comes to novice hurdles, but last season he was almost conspicuous by his absence. His one runner in the Grade 1 novice events at Cheltenham was 150-1 and that showed his lack of strength.

However, things couldn’t be more different this campaign because Henderson’s novice team looks as strong as it ever has done. Willmount (best Racing Post Rating of 128) and Jeriko Du Reponet (120) are hugely exciting and Jingko Blue (122) is also potentially smart.

Shanagh Bob fits in nicely among them, having recorded an RPR of 126 when running away with a Plumpton novice hurdle by seven lengths last month in a solid time for a youngster. So, is this £200,000 purchase set to become the latest Henderson novice to announce himself?

The race that Shanagh Bob won at Plumpton was not strong and the evidence for that comes from looking at his starting price. He went off 2-9 favourite, but what might be more significant is the money that came for him because he opened up at 1-3 in the betting.

It probably was not the most liquid of markets as it came on a Monday, but that was still a significant swing and there were evidently a lot who thought Shanagh Bob something special.

There will probably be an equal amount of people happy to ignore the buzz about Shanagh Bob and focus purely on form because on that measure he should not even be the favourite.

Destroytheevidence sets the standard on what has been achieved already and his latest victory at Kempton was good enough for an RPR of 132. However, that did come in handicap company and he probably won’t have faced anything with the potential of Shanagh Bob.
Analysis by Graeme Rodway

'When we saw the entries we had to have a go'

Kim Bailey is relishing the opportunity of running Destroytheevidence in Grade 2 company for the first time.

The five-year-old brings strong form into the race having won two of his three starts this season, most recently when he produced a career-best effort to win over three miles and half a furlong at Kempton.

Kim Bailey: "Three miles is definitely what he wants"Credit: Edward Whitaker

Bailey said: "When we saw the entries we had to have a go – it’ll be interesting. He’s had a good season, but it's a big step on what he’s raced in before and it’ll be a big difference in ground he’s been running on. We’re hopeful but we have a lot to learn."

The Gloucestershire trainer is confident Destroytheevidence will handle the trip, given his victory last time out, but is unsure how his runner will cope with soft ground for the first time.

Bailey added: "Three miles is definitely what he wants, but we’re going into uncharted territory with ground because I always thought he's a good-ground horse."

What they say

Harry Fry, trainer of Carrigmoorna Rowan
It’s a big step up in grade and trip, but the trip should suit and it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on at this level. 

Dan Skelton, trainer of Illico De Cotte
He's a nice horse who stays well and wouldn't mind soft ground. Three miles is more of a comfort than two and a half and I like him. He's got a very good attitude and will relax through the race – he's definitely got a chance.

Ruth Jefferson, trainer of Kerryhill
He’s doing well and he came out of his race at Kelso well. He did most things right and we thought we’d have a go. I can’t see the trip being a problem. Brian [Hughes] said he’s not slow and he could come back in trip on slow ground, but he looked like he stayed really well when he won his point. They’ll all sort themselves out in the race and horses get a lofty reputation when they’ve won a point and a novice hurdle, but until they start racing against each other it’s hard to know.

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Shanagh Bob
He looks exciting but you couldn't get too over-excited by what he did at Plumpton because it was a Plumpton novice. That was over two and a half [miles] and this is a step up to three, so we'll find out where we are with him. He's ready for the step up in trip I'd say.
Reporting by Liam Headd

Read Saturday's previews:

1.15 Cheltenham: Have connections found the ideal spot to get 'absolute legend' Funambule Sivola back to winning ways? 

1.50 Cheltenham: 'I pushed Harry to ride Monmiral' - Paul Nicholls, Olly Murphy and more on their December Gold Cup hopefuls 

2.25 Cheltenham: 'We're trying something very different' - quotes and analysis as Protektorat drops into handicap company 

3.15 Doncaster: 'I want to get him in the National' - quotes and analysis for a cracking handicap chase at Doncaster 

3.35 Cheltenham: 'We'd like to try her in the Mares' Hurdle'  - quotes and analysis for a competitive mares' handicap hurdle 

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