Nicky Henderson: "Just to keep everybody informed, Shishkin will run in the Rehearsal Chase on Saturday. Everything is fine with him, and he'll travel up to Newcastle on Friday"; watch all the action from Newcastle on Saturday live on Sky Sports Racing with the Rehearsal Chase at 3.05pm
Wednesday 29 November 2023 10:40, UK
Nicky Henderson has confirmed Shishkin will run in the BetMGM Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Racing.
Henderson has opted to head north for the handicap chase over almost three miles after his star chaser refused to race in the 1965 Chase at Ascot last weekend.
The Seven Barrows handler admitted to being in a quandary as to what to do with the multiple Grade One winner as he looks to get his season back on track ahead of a planned tilt at the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.
With alternative options limited, Henderson has opted for the Gosforth Park contest in which Shishkin will have to shoulder top weight of 12 stone under Nico de Boinville.
Henderson wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Just to keep everybody informed, Shishkin will run in the Rehearsal Chase on Saturday. Everything is fine with him, and he'll travel up to Newcastle on Friday with Constitution Hill."
Shishkin, one of 17 entries in the Rehearsal Chase, is rated 173 so will have to concede upwards of 21lb to each of his rivals in the race, with the next highest rated ahead of the final declarations being Jamie Snowden's Datsalrightgino on 148.
Henderson's brilliant hurdler Constitution Hill is set to make is seasonal debut in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle earlier on the card, a race in which he will face a maximum of four rivals.
Watch all the action from Newcastle on Saturday live on Sky Sports Racing with the Fighting Fifth at 1.55pm and the Rehearsal Chase at 3.05pm.
