By Nick Seddon
Nicky Henderson believes the Alder Hey Aintree Bowl at the Randox Grand National Festival could prove to be the “race of the year” as he prepares to step Shishkin up to three miles for the first time in the feature race of Opening Day, Thursday 13th April 2023.
The nine year old is perhaps best known for his exploits over two miles to date, winning both the 2021 Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham and the 2022 Clarence House Chase at Ascot at that trip.
However, he relished the step up to 2m 5f when winning the Grade One Ascot Chase by 16 lengths in February and showed staying qualities when running on to finish second in last month’s Grade One Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Now Henderson is planning to run him in the Aintree Bowl, which looks likely to include several protagonists from last month’s Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, including Bravemansgame (second), Conflated (third) and Protektorat (fifth), as well as the 2021 Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard.
The Seven Barrows trainer said: “The Bowl is going to be some race because everyone’s threatening to run. It won’t be a re-run of the Gold Cup because I can’t see the Gold Cup winner coming (Galopin Des Champs), but I can see the rest of them coming. So he’s going to have join in with them. It could easily be the best race of the year.
“Ascot suggested that 2m 5f wasn’t a problem so you’re going three extra furlongs on an easier track. So it shouldn’t technically be a problem.”
Henderson admitted he and his team have needed to iron out a couple of issues since The Festival, after Shishkin looked awkward at times during the Ryanair Chase last month, jumping left throughout.
He added: “We haven’t found issues that we haven’t corrected and I’m hopeful he won’t do all that again. He shouldn’t. We haven’t done anything dramatic, it was more physio, chiropractors – hopefully we’ve helped him.
“He’s a horse that has in the past had a few issues. We had those issues and we got him right and it all came together at Ascot and then we slightly fluffed our lines at Cheltenham, which was sad.
“But he still finished a remarkably good second, having got it all wrong. So if we have ironed that out then we’ve got every right to think we must have a chance at Aintree.”
The Alder Hey Aintree Bowl and the 41st Runner
The 21-year partnership between Aintree Racecourse and Alder Hey Children’s Charity is further strengthened as it was announced that the Grade One chase will be run as the Alder Hey Aintree Bowl in 2023.
One of four Grade One contests on Opening Day, the Alder Hey Aintree Bowl looks set to be an outstanding race this year.
The annual visit of jockeys to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital will again happen in 2023 on the morning of Ladies Day (Friday 14th April). Confirmed jockeys who will be part of the visit include Harry Skelton, Bridget Andrews, Henry Brooke, Nico de Boinville and ITV’s Mick Fitzgerald, who in his riding days rode the 1996 Grand National here Rough Quest. Also present will be the popular grey Neptune Collonges, winner of the 2012 Grand National.
Dickon White, Regional Director – North West, The Jockey Club, said: “We are very pleased to be running the Grade One Aintree Bowl under the Alder Hey banner in 2023, when we celebrate the 21st anniversary of our partnership.
“It looks pretty much set to be the race of the season and as such should do a fantastic job in promoting the invaluable work of everyone at Alder Hey.”
41st Runner
Frankie, who is just over a year old, is the honorary 41st runner in the 2023 Randox Grand National at Aintree.
Frankie was born in March 2022. Prior to his birth he had been diagnosed with gastroschisis which meant he would be born with his bowels on the outside of his stomach and surgery to fix this would be needed within hours of birth.
Gastroschisis is a rare condition which affects only 1 in 3,000 babies. These operations can only be done in a specialised children’s hospital with full paediatric surgery facilities such as Alder Hey in Liverpool, so Frankie and his family had to leave their local hospital and make the trip to an unfamiliar environment.
Frankie’s mum Jessica was also separated from Frankie during his first night at Alder Hey while she was waiting to be discharged from Arrowe Park Hospital. This meant that she was unable to see her newborn baby until the next day, apart from five minutes before the transport team had to move him to Alder Hey. At midnight that evening Jessica received the phone call to confirm that all had gone well with the one hour-long operation, and that Frankie was recovering in the Neonatal Unit on the cardiac ward at Alder Hey.
Jockey Rachael Blackmore, an ambassador for The Jockey Club who won the 2021 Randox Grand National on Minella Times, presented Frankie and Jessica with their tickets for Aintree.
Rachael Blackmore said: “Frankie and his mum Jessica are truly inspirational in the way they have faced up to the challenges life has presented them with. It was a privilege to meet them both and witness the unwavering support they have received from all the team at Alder Hey.
“It’s fantastic to have Frankie as the 41st runner this year and I look forward to catching up with them both again on Randox Grand National Day.”
Jennifer Graham, Relationships Fundraiser at Alder Hey, added: “We are delighted every year to join with The Jockey Club for a programme of celebrations for the Grand National here at Alder Hey and at Aintree.
“The children just love it, almost as much as the parents and the staff! To have the Alder Hey Aintree Bowl on Thursday is an additional honour for us too and what a line-up that race will be! Good luck to all the horses and jockeys, it’s set to be an amazing race!”
Photo of Shishkin courtesy of Ian Yates www.eyewhy.co.uk
Karen can usually be found glued to her computer or at the stables. Having edited several national magazines she co-founded Eclipse Magazine in 2008 after realising that many of her friends were nervous about going racing due to lack of information – what to wear, how to bet etc.
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