Went into the Cheltenham Festival with an excellent Clarence House win at Ascot where he beat future Champion Chaser Energumene making it a perfect seven from seven over the larger obstacles.
Unfortunately he disappointed massively when he got pulled up as a strong favourite that day where something was cleary amiss, but can bounce back here to affirm his position as the top two-mile chaser in the country.
He missed last year’s Tingle Creek, but brushed aside a rival who he faces again here in Greaneteen in the Desert Orchid Chase.
This will be his first start at the track and it will be fascinating to see how he takes to the challenges that it may provide.
Purely on ratings, his rivals have upwards of 5lb to find, suggesting Shishkin could return in style here after 262 days off the track. The worthy favourite.