Festival form holds up and Shishkin for the Gold Cup? Four things we learned this week

The week centred on Aintree’s three-day Grand National meeting, culminating in Corach Rambler’s victory in the big race on Saturday. Exceptional performances from Shishkin, Constitution Hill and Jonbon will also hold fond memories for jumps fans as the season nears conclusion. Here are four things we learned from the week's racing . . .

Shishkin has Gold Cup potential but it's a tough division

Shishkin's win in the Aintree Bowl, his first attempt at three miles under rules, was impressive – there is no substitute for class. His trainer Nicky Henderson has suggested a tilt at the King George will be on the agenda, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup surely a possible target next year. But could Shishkin really mix it with the kings of the staying chase division?

Constitution Hill is widely talked about as the best horse in training, but people are quick to forget about the mighty Galopin Des Champs. He is the best chaser in the game, with limitless potential, and if he makes it to Cheltenham next year in one piece, it is hard to see past him winning back-to-back Gold Cups. 

Add into the mix an ever-improving Bravemansgame, who missed Aintree but would have given Shishkin another tough opponent to beat, and a potential superstar in Gerri Colombe, and next year's showpiece will be stacked.

Shishkin is an exceptional talent and it's great to have him in the discussion, but it feels like he's a cruiserweight about to step into heavyweight company. Whether he could lay a glove on Galopin Des Champs remains to be seen.
Patrick Madden

Shishkin: Aintree Bowl victory opens up plenty of opportunities next seasonCredit: Alan Crowhurst

The Real Whacker - the real deal

It was a fine week for one horse stabled in North Yorkshire who was not even seen at Aintree or Fairyhouse.

That is because there was not one, not two, but three notable form boosts to The Real Whacker's Brown Advisory Novices' Chase win at the Cheltenham Festival last month.

Easter Sunday kicked off the form boost hat-trick with Brown Advisory ninth Sir Gerhard stepping up markedly on his festival effort when a half-length second to Flame Bearer in the Grade 1 WillowWarm Gold Cup Chase at Fairyhouse.

Brown Advisory fourth I Am Maximus continued the theme the following day when staying on best to land the BoyleSports Irish Grand National on his handicap debut, improving on his festival Racing Post Rating by 7lb.

The Real Whacker prevailed by a short head from Gerri Colombe at Cheltenham and the runner-up did the form no harm when justifying odds-on favouritism in the Mildmay Novices' Chase on Friday.

The Patrick Neville-trained chaser clearly beat a good one and he is three from three over fences at Cheltenham, with connections working back from the Gold Cup next season. He is 25-1 for the race with Coral, whereas Gerri Colombe is 8-1. Work that one out.
Jack Haynes

The Real Whacker (red cap) battles to success over Gerri Colombe in the Brown AdvisoryCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Festival form comes to the fore

There was a three-week gap between Cheltenham and Aintree last year and the quick turnaround appeared to work against the likes of Pied Piper, Protektorat and Edwardstone, who all suffered defeat at short prices.

With an extra week of recuperation this year, Cheltenham Festival form firmly came to the fore. Zenta, Shishkin and Gerri Colombe all had tough races at Cheltenham yet showed no ill effects when landing Grade 1s on Merseyside, while four of the first five home in the Top Novices' Hurdle had contested a festival race, as opposed to 12 months ago when three of the first four home had skipped Cheltenham.

Grand National runner-up Vanillier missed Cheltenham, but Corach Rambler (first) and Gaillard Du Mesnil (third), two of only three festival winners in the National field, proved none the worse for their Cheltenham exertions, while fourth-home Noble Yeats defied any fears his Gold Cup effort had left a mark.

With another four-week gap between the spring festivals in 2024, expect Cheltenham to once again prove a great source for identifying winners at the Grand National meeting.
Joe Eccles

Corach Rambler: supplemented his Cheltenham festival win in the Grand NationalCredit: GROSSICK RACING 07710461723

Lucinda Russell among the best in Britain

Lucinda Russell once again proved that with the right ammunition she can compete with the best trainers in Britain. Her runners at Aintree produced form figures of 22116, returning SPs of 11-4, 9-2, 16-1, 8-1 and 33-1. Backing Russell's runners blind at the 2023 Grand National meeting would have yielded a £23 level-stakes profit.

Corach Rambler's Grand National victory elevated Russell to sixth place in the jump trainers' championship and she has now matched her seasonal-best tally of 66 winners. With a whole host of entries at Ayr this weekend, that figure is likely to be surpassed before the season is out. 

The stable has worked wonders with the quirky Corach Rambler, whose five chase wins have come exclusively at Cheltenham and Aintree. But, arguably, even greater plaudits should be awarded for their campaigning of Ahoy Senor, who had contested the Charlie Hall, Many Clouds, King George, Cotswold Chase and Gold Cup before posting a career-best Racing Post Rating (174) when runner-up to Shishkin in Thursday's Bowl at Aintree.

Ahoy Senor burst onto the scene with a 66-1 victory in the 2021 Sefton Novices' Hurdle, a Grade 1 which Russell once again plundered when Apple Away produced a game front-running performance under Stephen Mulqueen. The mare was not without her supporters at 16-1, but the odds of her ending the season with a Grade 1 victory would have been significantly higher after she was beaten 24 lengths in a Class 2 novice hurdle at Cheltenham in October.

Apple Away's victory helped to push Russell's seasonal strike-rate up to 18 per cent, and since February the stable has been operating at a 26 per cent strike-rate. Getting horses peaking just in time for the spring festivals takes some doing, but Russell and her team are managing it.
Joe Eccles

Read more:

'The King George is the obvious race for him' - Shishkin shows his class to reel in Ahoy Senor in Bowl 

'The horse hated my instructions so Paul did the exact opposite!' - Willie Mullins hails Townend's Irish National masterclass 

'This is our sport and I love it' - Corach Rambler charges to magnificent victory in disrupted Grand National  

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