Shishkin set to go down Altior route as Henderson eyes Kempton for Supreme star

Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Shishkin, who could be the latest superstar to emerge from the Seven Barrows talent factory, looks set to start out on the trail taken by stable ace Altior in the beginners' chase at Kempton on Monday.

Trainer Nicky Henderson, who has had more winners at Kempton than any other jumps track in the last five seasons, started dual Champion Chase hero Altior there in 2016 and also won the 2m2f race the following campaign with Brain Power.

Vaniteux was another who struck for the stable in convincing style when it was a 2m novice chase in 2015.

Altior goes through the gears at Newbury on TuesdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Owned by Joe and Marie Donnelly, Shishkin hosed up in a Kempton bumper in the spring of 2019 before an outstanding novice hurdling campaign, which culminated in a thrilling success in the Supreme.

He is already a warm 3-1 favourite for the Sporting Life Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival in March – a race Altior also went on to land.

"I'm thinking of Kempton on Monday," Henderson said on Tuesday. "He's got a piece of work to do tomorrow morning and then school and then we might go to Kempton. It's the race we used for Altior and it's just fallen at the right time, while Kempton is a good course to start them off."

Watch Shishkin win the Supreme

Shishkin may have been a leading Champion Hurdle contender in another walk of life, but Henderson is relishing the prospect of the exciting youngster tackling fences.

He recalled: "If you go back to the time we had Altior and Buveur D'Air as novice hurdlers, they both went chasing, but both could have won the Champion Hurdle.

"Altior was a year older so we had to go chasing then or not at all. He found fences easier than Buveur, who was trying to hurdle them and although he won his first two chases, we thought it wasn't right and he'd win the Champion Hurdle.

"With Shishkin, he's a great big horse and a great jumper. If you've got Buveur D'Air and Epatante, do you really need him for the Champion Hurdle? I think he's better off down the two-mile chasing route."

Altior, who is a general 7-1 chance for the Champion Chase and missed the chance to bid for a fifth straight festival triumph with a minor problem last season, exercised alongside Epatante under Nico de Boinville at Newbury on Tuesday morning and will return in the Betfair Tingle Creek at Sandown on December 5.

"He's good and heading for the Tingle Creek," added the champion trainer, who has just about forgiven himself for pitting Patricia Pugh's ten-year-old against Cyrname on his seasonal reappearance at Ascot a year ago.

Santini (left) working with Beware The Bear on TuesdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

"He loves his jumping and if you'd have seen him on Thursday it was terrifying. He just jumped five fences and it was frightening. He's so quick and Nico might enjoy it, but I certainly don't! He's just brilliant and it [jumping] lights his fire.

"The start of last season was a complete disaster and ever since I've said we shouldn't have run. The ground was diabolical and you did not need that head-to-head on the first run of the season. It bottomed Altior and I don't think it did Cyrname a lot of good for a while, but hopefully they're both back and back where they belong."

Henderson confirmed Gold Cup runner-up Santini, who also stretched his legs at Newbury, is being targeted at Aintree's William Hill Many Clouds Chase on the same afternoon as the Tingle Creek.

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