The long-awaited first meeting between Shishkin and Energumene lived up to every expectation here on Saturday, as two exceptional chasers duelled around two miles at Ascot before Shishkin edged in front in the final strides, having jumped the final fence with a length still to find.
There was a huge roar from the stands as the two horses battled towards the line, with Energumene attempting to cling on to a lead he had held from the off. Ultimately, his first trip to Britain ended in defeat by a length, but a pulsating and unforgettable race has now set up a rematch in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March which will surely be the race of the Festival.
Money had arrived for Energumene throughout the day and he set off as the 5-4 second-favourite, from 13-8 on Saturday morning, with Shishkin at 4-5. Willie Mullins’s chaser was odds-on in running until the final strides, however, as Paul Townend set a fierce pace in front and Shishkin made the first jumping error early on the second circuit.
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Energumene was 9-1 on in running between the final two fences but he had not shaken off Shishkin and Nicky Henderson’s chaser needed to find an astonishing turn of foot to claim the win at the end of such a well-run race.
“I don’t get excited very often,” Nick de Boinville, Shishkin’s jockey, said after pulling up, “but going down the hill flat out on these two, me and Paul [Townend], the thrill and exhilaration of doing that is hard to buy.
“He had to be so gutsy. Great champions always find a way of winning and he is just that.”
At Haydock, Henderson’s Jonbon maintained his unbeaten record in the Grade Two Rossington Main Novice Hurdle but his performance was far more solid than spectacular and several bookmakers eased him slightly for the Supreme Novice Hurdle in March as a result.
Richmond Lake and Might I still had every chance at the final flight but the 2-5 favourite found an extra gear on the run-in to finish three lengths in front at the line.
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“It was a different test today, a speed track, very soft ground,” Henderson, who watched from Ascot, said. “They quickened once in the straight and you thought he’s got something to do here, but … then he quickened again and I like horses that can quicken twice.”
Tommy’s Oscar is 25-1 (from 50-1) for the Champion Hurdle after making a smooth transition from handicapping to Graded company later on the card, while Royale Pagaille is 16-1 (from 25-1) for the Gold Cup after carrying top weight to victory in the Peter Marsh Chase for the second year running.