Shishkin back as a festival force with Ryanair in his sights

With six of the nine runners in Thursday’s Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, Ireland holds a quantity edge, but quality-wise there’s little arguing with Shishkin’s singular claims.

The horse that blew out so spectacularly when favourite for last year’s Champion Chase, and was subsequently diagnosed with a rare bone condition, is set to start as hot favourite to complete an unlikely festival comeback.

If Shishkin’s Tingle Creek comeback in December smacked of a big talent on the slide, his Ascot Chase performance less than four weeks ago suggested such verdicts were very premature.

A wind op, a tongue tie, and stretching his stamina out an extra half-mile worked the oracle in spectacular fashion.

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So powerfully did he run through the line at Ascot that there were even brief hopes his stamina could get stretched further still for an ambitious Gold Cup tilt.

Caution has won out, though, with the Ryanair’s intermediate trip looking a pragmatic fit for Nicky Henderson’s star.

It used to be a similarly suitable fit for Allaho, winner for the last two years but ruled out this time due to injury. Willie Mullins instead bids to stretch his record Ryanair haul to six with a trio of contenders.

Blue Lord has also been plying his trade at two miles but has looked difficult to predict while Chacun Pour Soi is at the veteran stage and has never produced his best around here. Janidil won well on his Gowran comeback although his jumping has proved fragile in the past.

Michael O’Leary finally won his own race in 2018 with Balko Des Flos and relies on Fury Road this time. Galopin Des Champs’ fans will hope for a good effort to boost their Gold Cup hopes.

However, a good run and getting the better of Shishkin are different things. Perhaps only monsoon conditions will alter that basis.

Whatever the Ryanair outcome it will be a potentially big day for Fury Road’s trainer Gordon Elliott.

Mighty Potter has been a popular betting mainstay on the festival run-in and is a warm favourite for the opening Turners Novice Chase.

Last year’s dramatic final fence exit by Galopin Des Champs, on top of Envoi Allen’s spill in 2021, underscores the novice element to this race.

Nevertheless, Mighty Potter’s credentials are hard to pick holes in. Unbeaten over fences he has won a pair of Grade Ones with such authority that the only hole some have been able to find in him is his failure to fire over hurdles at last year’s festival.

The ‘horses for courses’ theory works too often for it to be casually dismissed, but arguing that Mighty Potter has a problem with Cheltenham based on a single race looks a big stretch.

Banbridge is a proven winner around Cheltenham and will relish the step up in trip based on his honourable second to the Arkle winner El Fabiolo at Leopardstown last month. He shapes as Mighty Potter’s big danger.

Elliott has four chances to record a fourth Pertemps success and dominates the top of the handicap.

Sire Du Berlais proved that’s not an insurmountable obstacle with two wins and Maxxum could prove the solution this time. He won his qualifier by a wide margin over Christmas and was hampered badly on his last start.

Elliott has turned to his old ally Jamie Codd for Dunboyne in the concluding Kim Muir. Codd has a record four wins to his credit in the amateur handicap while his great rival Patrick Mullins is trying to break his duck with the topweight Mr Incredible.

Dunboyne lost the Thyestes at Gowran on the nod and will relish testing conditions, something that might apply to another leading Irish contender, Stumptown.

Jack de Bromhead’s memory resonated through Tuesday’s celebrations following Honeysuckle’s dramatic victory.

The 13-year-old, who lost his life last September, will be remembered in the race title of Thursday’s mares’ novice hurdle.

Henry de Bromhead has a handful of contenders to try to win the race named after his son and there could be no more appropriate winner.

Luccia, unbeaten in four starts, is the big home hope while the Group One winner Princess Zoe has just her second start over flights here.

On her best flat form Princess Zoe would be able to almost carry these but she is not the only ex-flat star in this new discipline.

Lot Of Joy is a Scandinavian Classic winner with a success in the 2021 Swedish St Leger to her credit.

She has proved a useful and versatile type since moving to Willie Mullins and won the last of her three hurdles starts last month. Mullins won the first five renewals of this race and normal service may get resumed.

Brian O’Connor’s Thursday Cheltenham selections

1.30 Mighty Potter

2.10 Maxxum

2.50 Shishkin

3.30 Home By The Lee

4.10 Seddon

4.50 Lot Of Joy (Nap)

5.30 Dunboyne

Double: Lot Of Joy & Home By The Lee