Betway Bowl Chase |
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| Grade 1, Aintree 14:55 £250,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 3m 210y, Class 1  |
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1 Shishkin 7/4
2 Ahor Senor 11/4
3 A Plus Tard
10/3
5 ran NR: Bravemansgame Distances: 1½l, 16l
Time: 6m 20.94s (slow by 8.94s)
✅ He stays alright
— Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) April 13, 2023
You can just never write this horse off! SHISHKIN wins the Aintree Bowl!pic.twitter.com/U8cfMgWTcj
The King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup could be among Shishkin’s targets next season after the top-class chaser kicked in the turbo to secure the spoils.
Nicky Henderson’s charge earned superstar status by winning his first 10 completed starts over obstacles, a run which included successive victories at the Cheltenham Festival and three Grade Ones.
The wheels came off in last season’s Champion Chase, with Henderson putting his abject performance on desperate ground down to a rare bone condition, while a fairly uninspiring start to the current campaign in the Tingle Creek at Sandown suggested his best days may be behind him.
Not for the first time, however, Henderson weaved his magic, getting Shishkin back to something like his best when stepped up in trip for February’s Ascot Chase, after which he did remarkably well to finish second in last month’s Ryanair after a performance lacking much zest.
The Seven Barrows handler felt the time had come for his former star two-miler over three miles and he was the 7-4 favourite to successfully graduate to the staying trip on Merseyside.
Once again it was not entirely plain sailing, with Nico de Boinville having to get lower in the saddle on a couple of occasions while Ahoy Senor attempted to make all under Brian Hughes.
The latter looked likely to prevail after drawing clear between the final two fences, but as has been the case on a few occasions over the years, Shishkin saved his best for late in the day, thrusting home on the run-in to get up and beat Ahoy Senor by a length and a half.
Betway Bowl Chase
£250,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 3m 210y, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Good in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Shishkin 9 11-10 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 7/4F
2 1½ Ahoy Senor 8 11-10 Lucinda Russell Brian Hughes 11/4
3 16 A Plus Tard 9 11-10 Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore 100/30
PU
Conflated 9 11-10 Gordon Elliott Keith Donoghue 9/2
PU
Ga Law 7 11-10 Jamie Snowden Jonathan Burke 25/1
NR 3 Bravemansgame 8 11-10 Paul Nicholls NON RUNNER
Betway Bowl - Previous Winners
2022 Clan Des Obeaux
2021 Clan Des Obeaux
2020 ABANDONED due to Covid-19
2019 Kemboy
2018 Might Bite
2017 Tea For Two
2016 Cue Card
2015 Silviniaco Conti
2014 Silviniaco Conti
2013 First Lieutenant, Gigginstown House Stud, Mouse Morris IRE 08-11-07 Bryan Cooper 7/2
2012 Follow The Plan, Redgap Partnership, Oliver McKlernan IRE 09-11-07 Tom Doyle 50/1
2011 Nacarat, Simon W Clarke, Tom George 10-11-07 Paddy Brennan 7/2
