“Not a Chance”: As Shishkin Dominates G2 Denman Chase, Fans in Denial of Equine’s ‘Cheltenham’ Future

In Newbury, the much-anticipated “Super Saturday” has concluded. Lots of horses from various trainers gave horse racing fans a cornucopia of activity. Not only that, but Nicky Henderson’s 10-year-old Shishkin was a competitor in the highly anticipated G2 Denman Chase. The horse had to show his trainer that he was worthy of a trip to the Cheltenham Festival, the most prestigious horse racing event in the world; thus, this race was crucial.

But Shishkin didn’t let his trainer down; he finished 4¼ lengths clear of the horse in second place, demonstrating his dominance in the event. Nicky Henderson and his team were very fond of this win. This victory, meanwhile, was insufficient to establish him as a favorite at Cheltenham, as per social media users.

Shishkin storming through the Newbury Racecourse

The Grade 2 Betfair Denman Chase took place on Saturday at Newbury Racecourse. Horses older than five years old competed in the 2m7½f event, which had 18 hurdles. As of the finalization of the race card, five horses were entered in the G2 event, and none of them were declared non-runners. With occasional leaps to the left, Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin ran as the second-best horse in the hurdle race for a while. In the third and thirteenth hurdle, the horse had a tough time. But with three more hurdles to go, Shishkin seized the lead. In the last stretch of the race, the equine hopped over the last hurdle and beat out Hitman, the second-place horse, by a margin of 4¼ lengths, as shown on the X post by Road To Cheltenham.

The performance of the 10-year-old horse was breathtaking. Before the race, Henderson published a blog on the official Unibet website. He wrote on his blog about how, with Shishkin’s participation in the G2 event, all eyes were on him. The trainer saw the race as a test for the horse ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, which was quickly approaching. Although the horse’s first victory of 2024 was impressive, social media users had different opinions over the equine’s Cheltenham future.

Not a favorite as per the horse racing world

Shishkin is no ordinary horse. Since 2018, the horse has been racing for trainer Nicky Henderson. During this time, the horse has also achieved plenty of accomplishments. Following Road To Cheltenham’s X post on the horse’s win, a flurry of online users were quick to weigh their thoughts on the equine.

ALSO READ – “Needs to Win This”: Hopeful Trainer Nicky Henderson Opens up on 10-Year-Old Horse Ahead of ‘Super Saturday’

Nicky Henderson has planned a Gold Cup for the horse in the future, but this fan has the opposite opinion.

This fan was pretty straightforward with their opinion on the equine.

One fan has brought up a harsh reality check for Shishkin.

Shishkin did struggle a bit in the G2 race, which was pointed out by this fan.

Amid all these, one user reminded of his previous deeds

The horse was quite dominant in the G2 race, but the horse racing world still isn’t in the same boat for being a race favorite. With the Cheltenham Festival coming up in a matter of weeks, Henderson is determined to send his potential horses to the G1 contests.

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