The Nicky Henderson Thread

[Diamond Geezer]

Shishkin will have a crucial gallop on Tuesday to decide whether he’ll run in the Desert Orchid at Kempton (Dec 27). He was scoped this morning after a piece of work with Epatante and it was clean. Clarence House an option if Nicky is not happy.

Henderson told Unibet: "Shishkin worked on the all-weather this morning and everything went according to plan, so after discussing it with Nico (de Boinville) and owner Joe Donnelly, we have decided that it makes perfect sense to enter him in the Desert Orchid Chase - but at this stage it is only provisional and he's by no means certain to run there.
Everything has gone well with him and he appears in good form at home, but he'll school on Thursday and have another spin on Saturday by which time we will have a much clearer idea as to whether we run on Monday or wait a few more weeks for the Clarence House at Ascot. The good thing is we aren't short of options and still have plenty of time and the Clarence House is always a nice race to win.

Many will say it's 'Henderson sitting on the fence again' and I'm afraid they are right. The horse's health, fitness and wellbeing is my only priority."

[Tanlic]

Don't know why he's worrying so much he's not going to win the QMCC anyway

[Diamond Geezer]

Shishkin will run in the Desert Orchid Chase on Monday, confirmed by Nicky.

[Tanlic]

It appears Nicky Henderson wasn't that keen to run Shishkin in the Desert Orchid but he turned to the future master of Seven barrows Nico De "Boinville who convinced him he had to run

No one can deny turning for home Shishkin looked in big trouble but a bit of kicking and shoving from Nico and suddenly the turbo set in.

I'm still not convinced he's the new Sprinter Sacre or even as good as Altior but the oppostion is so thin on the ground he could remain unbeaten again this season

[Grasshopper]

Been thinking about the Clarence House Chase, and whether Shishkin will participate.

To be honest, I don't see any downside to Henderson letting him take his chance if Energumene comes over for it.

If Shishkin wins, then there has to be a chance that Energumene might get upped in trip to run in the Ryanair, which would remove his principal rival from the equation.

If he loses but goes close, then he'll have a chance of reversing the form on a track we know he acts on very well, and where Energumene has no previous.

And even if he's beaten pointless, they'll at least have an idea on how much of a gap they have to close, and can consider some sort of tactical approach to the race to try and reverse the form.....and Energumene will still be unproven at Cheltenham anyway.

As far as I can see, it's only downside if they don't run at Ascot, as they'd a) have to run him in the less-preferred race at Newbury, and b) they will still have little idea as to where they stand with the main opposition. The horse barely knew he had a race at Kempton (which was a very good first-time-out effort), and it shouldn't be beyond the boundaries of Henderson's talent, to ready him for another race a month later.

I reckon this is a no-brainer. He surely has to run him?

[granger]

It would go against his kid gloving of horses in recent years

Altior v Cyrname might be enough to persuade him against your rather sound assessment grass

[barjon]

It would go against his kid gloving of horses in recent years

Altior v Cyrname might be enough to persuade him against your rather sound assessment grass

Yes, that’s a pain that won’t leave him. Killed off both horses.

[Diamond Geezer]

Might just go for a racecourse gallop at Newbury along with a few others

[Tanlic]

It would have to be a really decisive victory by Shishkin or Energumene to scare one of them into not running in the QMCC.

Can't see Nicky risking giving Shishkin a hard race to try and win 65k when the QMCC is worth 170k and he can go there as a fresh horse.

As far as being a spectator goes I want to see them meet on the big stage....much more interesting than them both running in the Clarence House

[Grasshopper]

I think you're probably right, Fist.

However, it's not so long ago that he ran Sprinter Sacre in the Tingle Creek and Chandler, before he won his first Champion Chase....or gave Finian's Rainbow the same prep before he won his Champion Chase. Clearly, the prospect of having a 'hard race' for lesser money wasn't an issue then, and it's only latterly (with Altior) that he has chosen to break that demonstrably-proven formula..........leaving one to wonder why that is the case - and why I query whether his bottle has gone.

[Tanlic]

As henderson said recently Sprinter was different you could do anything with him and he'd still be too good for them.

Finian's was one tough cookie and stood his races well...his win over Sizing Europe was a classic GFY ride from Geraghty who I thought was going to run Lynch straight into the omitted last fence.

Then it was off to Aintree for another grade 1 course win. For a horse who was never regarded as a superstar he did really well for Henderson.

[Tanlic]

As expected Constitution Hill goes for the Tolworth on Saturday.

As forecast he has no worries about both going for the Supreme and probably another joining them.

He said in a recent interview about Constitution Hill "If you saw him walking and trotting in the middle of the string you wouldn’t give me a shilling for him"

Makes me wonder who was the genius who told him to spend 120k to buy him for Michael Buckley after finishing 2nd in a poor p2p.

[wilsonl]

They took Geraghty’s word for it apparently

[granger]

Highly recommeded by Geraghty at a breakfast with his close friends

[Tanlic]

That explains it........Now lets be logical. Henderson says he will handle the ground no problem He done a great piece and outran the 7am train yesterday, He has a clean bill of health couldn't be better.

All we need to know now when will he be withdrawn

[Gaz's Way De Solzen]

See on the front of the RP says that Henderson is considering Ascot for Shishkin, really can't see him wanting to take on Energumene before Cheltenham!

[Double J]

Anyone heard any plans for Firestep and Dusart? See Dusart has been entered in the stayers.

[Tanlic]

See on the front of the RP says that Henderson is considering Ascot for Shishkin, really can't see him wanting to take on Energumene before Cheltenham!

You have to ask is when did Nicky Henderson start giving the Racing Post exclusive information.

Looks like a "Join our Club" ploy to get idiots to sign up.

Of course Nicky is considering running Shishkin all he waiting for is the wheels to fall off Energugene and he'll run him.

I just find it odd that 6 other racing outlets are talking about how Nicky is struggling to find a race for Jonbon but none mention Shishkin.

[Grasshopper]

Re the ‘struggling to find a race for Jonbon’ claims, the Rossington Main and the Dovecote are both Grade 2 novice hurdles run over the 2m trip.

The former is run at left-handed Haydock, on what is likely to be reasonably testing ground, with the latter run at right-handed Kempton, on ground which is ordinarly right in the sweet-spot. They therefore offer two slightly different types of test, providing a degree of choice to any trainer inclined to find a January/February prep race for a Supreme Novices candidate.

If I can find these events in the Pattern after a simple search, you really have to wonder why it seems to beyond the combined wit of Henderson and Frank Berry to identify them.

[Tanlic]

Kempton is that not run in late Feb about 2 weeks before the Festival......if so considering the fact the Supreme is race 1 on day 1 he'd have to be mad to go there

Haydock is more often run on very heavy ground than not but when did Nicky discount the Rossington?

We are to man thinking Constitution Hill will hack up on Saturday but there is no guarantee he will and even if he does it does not mean he'll ever win again.
Only takes one horse to fokc your best laid plans up.

Classic example of how uncertain racing is....lI was looking back at Aintree 2018 when Nicky kicked in 5 winners and became Champion Trainer again.

L'Ami Serge and Might Bite both won grade 1's and were sueperstars of the day..Neither ever won another race.

The point is supertars today can become the most unreliable horses the next.

So making sure Nicky find the right 2m Hurdle for Jonbon plays heavily on his mind. He has to find the right race at the right time on the right course and the right going.

Second guessing Nicky Henderson is taboo, he lives and breaths the game and knows every up and coming possibility for Jonbon make no mistake about that,