WEMIGHTNOTYETKNOWWHATTHINGSWILL LOOKLIKEOFFTHETRACK, BUTYOU’RE GUARANTEED SPORTINGDRAMAON IT
which would have cost bookmakers in the region of £50 million. And while one such departure on the biggest stage in horseracing would be hard to endure, spare a thought for owner Rich Ricci who watched Benie Des Dieux – also trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh – make the same error in almost identical circumstances four years later. We might not yet know what things will look like off the track, but you’re guaranteed sporting drama on it.
and that’s what good horses tend to do. I think with another summer’s grass Shishkin will grow another hand and fill out as well, so it’s similar to how Altior was. I’m not going to say he is like Altior, but they make that decision for you over the summer.” The final Grade One contest of the day is a race with a knack for producing drama, and The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle made headlines around the world back in 2015, when Annie Power’s fall at the final flight denied a pay-out
the Arkle regularly serves as an express route to the following year’s Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. In Shishkin, connections believe they might have a horse to do just that, following in the footsteps of another of Henderson’s stable stars Altior. Speaking after Shishkin’s victory in last year’s Supreme, jockey Nico de Boinville, was quick to draw a comparison of sorts himself, and said: “Everything conspired against him today, but he managed to find a way,
22 THE F E S T I VAL TM SUPPORT I NG WE L LCH I LD PREV I EW MAGAZ I NE
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