As a response to Gordon Elliott’s claim earlier this week that British trainers spend too much time “ducking and diving” with their best horses in the first few months of the season, Saturday’s Tingle Creek at Sandown could hardly have been timed any better.
With the sole exception of Nube Negra, the best two-milers that Britain can muster are due to go to post in front of a big pre-Christmas crowd on Saturday, including Shishkin, the winner of an epic Clarence House Chase at Ascot last February, and his successor as the top two-mile novice, Alan King’s Edwardstone.
They face Greaneteen, last year’s Tingle Creek winner, and another of last season’s Grade One-winning novices in Gentleman Du Mee, and though Energumene, the Champion Chase winner in March, is missing, the form is represented by Funambule Sivola, the runner-up.
Paul Nicholls, Greaneteen’s trainer, has already landed a record 12 wins in the Tingle Creek, with outstanding champions including Kauto Star and Master Minded. He leapt to the defence of Britain’s trainers following Elliott’s comments earlier this week – forcing the Racing Post to reach for the asterisks when reporting his response – but was not inclined to stir the pot any further after winning the main race at Sandown on Friday with Henri The Second.
“It’s a proper race, proper horses and it’s going to be exciting,” Nicholls said. “Shishkin at his very, very best is a smart horse and he’ll be hard to beat, and he beat us last year [in the Desert Orchid Chase] at Kempton, but Kempton and Sandown are two very different things.
“Gordon and me are mates and we’d both laugh at it, to be honest I was doing something about the Tingle Creek, Gordon was talking to someone [else] and it got taken out of all context, so we’ve been winding each other up about it all week. Us in particular, we run the horses wherever, I might run three or even four in the King George [at Kempton on Boxing Day], so we definitely don’t duck and dive at all.”
Shishkin’s trainer, Nicky Henderson, has a little more form when it comes to last-minute scratchings, but he too is content to pitch in his horse against the best around, nine months on from a bitterly disappointing run when odds-on favourite for the Champion Chase.
Shishkin was subsequently found to be suffering from a bone condition but has been nursed back to full fitness and goes into Saturday’s race as second-favourite for the Champion Chase next March.
“We had a mega-problem after Cheltenham but I’m confident that is behind us,” Henderson said this week. “You have got to hope we have got the Shishkin that was at Ascot for that epic battle with Energumene which was the race of the season. If he is back to that, we will be very competitive, I hope.”
Saturday’s TV racing preview
The betting suggests that it is around 1-4 that either Shishkin or Greaneteen will win the Tingle Creek, but this is a deeper race than the odds imply and Funambule Sivola (2.55) could be an excellent each-way alternative to the market leaders.
Venetia Williams’s seven-year-old has perhaps been overlooked because he worked his way up the ranks as a handicapper, but he is six-for-nine in chases at around two miles and put up a new career-best to finish less than nine lengths behind Energumene in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March.
Funambule Sivola travelled like a Grade One horse for much of the way there, has gone well fresh in the past and could give backers a big run for their money at around 20-1.
Aintree 1.30: A strong renewal of this Grade Two, with Ahoy Senor, one of last season’s best staying novice chasers, looking to atone for a rare disappointment on his return to action at Wetherby last month. His opponents include Noble Yeats, last season’s Grand National winner, but at around 8-1, the value could lie with Anthony Honeyball’s Sam Brown. He won a valuable handicap chase over track and trip at the National meeting. He was only four lengths behind Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall last time – and more than 30 lengths in front of Ahoy Senor.
Sandown 1.45: Jonbon, a Grade One winner over hurdles last season, faced just two opponents on his chase debut in November but won in such style that he is already the clear favourite for next year’s Arkle Trophy at the Festival. Boothill promises to put up more resistance here but will still need to find plenty of improvement to trouble the odds-on favourite.
Aintree 2.05: A 23-strong field is the second-biggest this century for this three-and-a-quarter-mile test over the Grand National fences, and Gesskille looks sure to run a big race after an excellent debut over these unique obstacles in the Grand Sefton last month. The six-year-old went down by a nose having taken to the challenge like a natural and the step up in trip here should bring further improvement.
Sandown 2.20: Donald McCain’s Nayati has made rapid strides since returning from almost three years off the track in September and could be up to defying a 6lb rise for a recent win at Bangor.
Aintree 2.40: Knight In Dubai is lightly raced for a nine-year-old and had been off for 10 months before his close second at Bangor last month. Dan Skelton’s chaser has a big chance at around 6-1 if he can build on that run from just a 1lb higher mark.
Wetherby 11.40 Goshhowposh 12.13 William Cody 12.48 Imperial Storm 1.23 Grange Ranger 1.58 Lebowski 2.33 Tango Boy 3.08 Amarbelle's Dream
Aintree 11.45 Etalon 12.20 Brandy McQueen 12.55 Dixon Cove 1.30 Sam Brown 2.05 Gesskille (nap) 2.40 Knight In Dubai 3.15 Herbiers
Chepstow 11.53 Lanspark 12.27 Galudon 1.02 Dalamoi 1.37 Secret Investor 2.12 Iron Bridge 2.47 Knowsley Road 3.22 Bohemian Lad
Sandown Park 12.00 Authorised Speed 12.35 West Balboa 1.10 Halo Des Obeaux 1.45 Jonbon 2.20 Nayati 2.55 Funambule Sivola 3.30 Quick Wave (nb)
Wolverhampton 5.20 Bora Bora 5.50 Mighty River 6.20 Vespasian 6.50 Looking For Lynda 7.20 Base Note 7.50 Sunstone 8.20 Queen Of Ipanema
Aintree 3.15: Herbiers is tough and reliable, and while he is racing off a career-high mark of 138 here, the form of his six-length win at Newbury last month – on his first start since a wind op – suggests he has a significant chance to follow up at around 8-1.
Sandown 3.30: Venetia Williams’s Quick Wave shrugged off a 10-month absence to win her only start last season with ease and the handicapper may have erred in raising her by just 7lb.
