A 3lbs rise for that success is more than fair, but 146 is a rating that could well stretch his capabilities and while he should run a big race he's unlikely to be able to deliver at this high level and he's another to ignore. Nick Alexander's Elvis Mail is one of the form horses lining up here and he was last seen storming to victory at Kelso in a race that saw Grand National hero Corach Rambler line up.

However, he's 10lbs higher than that Paddy Power Gold Cup win, so he needs to produce a huge career best and he showed little over hurdles last time out, so is one that could find this a bit tough. It would be no surprise to see him empty in the closing stages of this race, leaving the door open to a rival.Ī spectacular winner of the 2022 Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham, Ga Law failed to kick on from that when sent into Graded company, so a return to the handicap sphere should see him improve.

There's no doubting that Shishkin is much the best horse in the race and if he was to produce his A game then he would carry these at a hack canter, but with the aim being the King George on Boxing Day then Henderson may not have him fully tuned up. He may have a whole different task on his hands this weekend, but the first thing Henderson will want his star to do is jump off, so the pressure will certainly be on Nico de Boinville to get Shiskin away from the start line.Įven with a big weight and the potential for him not to start, the bookmakers are certainly not giving away much in their betting as he's been installed around the 11/10 mark for glory this weekend, which is awfully short for a horse that may not even make the first fence. With Constitution Hill already on the lorry heading up to the north east for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Henderson has opted to send Shishkin as well for the Rehearsal Handicap Chase and the former Supreme Novices' Hurdle and Arkle winner will have to give gargantuan lumps of weight away to his seven rivals.Ĭarrying 12st in Saturday's contest, the next in the handicap is Jamie Snowden's Ga Law with 10st 7lbs, while the rest of the runners will carry less than that, so while Shishkin is the class of the race he will have a tough ask to carry such a big weight on his seasonal reappearance. Shishkin's refusal to race in last weekend's 1965 Chase has given Nicky Henderson a real headscratcher as the Seven Barrows handler is desperate to get a run into his dual Cheltenham Festival winner before the King George VI Chase, but what was Ascot's loss is certainly Newcastle's gain.

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