ONE of racing’s best stayers has broken an unwanted 30-year record following his on-track quirks that stunned his backers.
Shishkin was 8-13 favourite for the 1965 Chase at Ascot on Saturday but he didn’t even break the starting tape.
Having looked reluctant to race, the multiple Grade 1 winner whipped round at the start and planted himself.
Punters couldn’t believe their eyes as their money went up in flames and his antics weren’t missed by Timeform either.
The leading data provider has given Shishkin the dreaded squiggle, which denotes a horse that is “unreliable for temperamental or other reasons”.
Timeform’s chase handicapper Phil Turner said: “To be honest, Shishkin is something of a rarity.
“Most of our high-profile squiggle horses down the years have been awarded the symbol for throwing things away at the end of their races, not the start!
“The likes of top-class hurdlers Bird’s Nest, Gaye Brief and Harchibald were wonderful servants for their connections who won a stack of big races, but they were sometimes let down by their finishing displays in races they seemed set to win and this rendered them hard to predict from a punting viewpoint.
“By contrast, Shishkin has displayed tremendous battling qualities for several of his biggest wins, being notably strong at the death.”
“We’ve got no idea whether he’ll actually set off or not next time – and by the sound of things Nicky Henderson is similarly uncertain – then he clearly has to be viewed as a risky betting proposition for now.”
Shishkin is rated 176 by Timeform, leaving him 2lb clear of Tidal Bay, who was also given the infamous squiggle.
Other recent examples of highly-rated horses to be given the squiggle are Cyrname (166), Outlander (164) and Samcro (162).
Shishkin is entered in Saturday’s Rehearsal Handicap Chase at Newcastle, where he would need to concede more than a stone to his rivals.
It would be a Herculean effort if he managed to pull it off, but that relies on him actually consenting to race…
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