Mike Cattermole column following Phil Kirby gamble and Shishkin's chase debut at Kempton

KIRBY SPOT-ON WITH BUSHYPARK GAMBLE

A lot of people felt uneasy or even affronted about Bushypark’s landing of a spectacular gamble, from a general 16/1 to 7/4 favourite, at Hexham last Wednesday.

My own view was one of admiration for Philip Kirby for landing a very nice touch indeed and for having the bottle to go for it with an unexposed horse that the North Yorkshire trainer had clearly spent a lot of time at home teaching to relax.

Horses are not machines – they are all different and all need to learn. Some take less teaching and others take longer to learn but, from my point of view, racing is all the more colourful for stories like these.

The Horseracing Bettors Forum even asked for a BHA investigation. That’s fine, I’m all for transparency.

Kirby knows full well that the clues were there in the form book.

Bushypark, a point-to-point winner, notably on soft ground, was clearly a work in progress under Rules and was running in his second handicap last week. He had shown up until approaching the final flight on his handicap debut over the same course and distance two months earlier. That, though, had been on good ground.

Then, some others will have known that at Kelso on November 7, all the talk (especially in the sparsely populated pressroom) was about the gamble on Bushypark in the seventh race on the card.

What an anti-climax when Kirby was forced to withdraw Bushypark due to “unsuitable ground”. It was only good to soft officially and, with the benefit of hindsight, Kirby clearly didn’t want to take any chances. The race times that day suggested, however, that he might have got away with it.

No matter, the fact that Kirby felt happy to delay by some 11 days speaks volumes about how professionally he was executing the plan and clearly some bookmakers had overlooked that price collapse at Kelso when first compiling the odds last week.

Following his easy win, Bushypark has been raised 15lb to 98 but has bypassed both of his entries at Doncaster this Friday. It will be fascinating to see how he progresses.

Kirby clearly knows the time of day. Not too long ago, he was spotted arriving at the course in an Aston Martin, courtesy of the proceeds of Stargazer’s 50/1 win at Haydock in September, he told me.

I say fair play to him. How wonderful to be able to use that cash on a dream car. Remember, it's a tough game he is in, especially right now. The once promising association with the free-spending enthusiast Darren Yeats is now a distant memory and life and business has to go on.

I noticed on Kirby’s Twitter feed this week that the construction of a new barn for his younger stock and out-of-training horses was taking shape.

Wonder if he will call it “Bushypark Barn”?

COPPERHEAD GIVEN BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT IN LADBROKES TROPHY

It was telling that Colin Tizzard was keen to protect Copperhead’s handicap mark, no doubt with Saturday’s Ladbrokes Trophy in mind, by starting him back over hurdles at Wetherby.

He was, however, bitterly disappointing and was pulled up before the third last. The form of the yard wasn’t exactly sparking at the time and that is why I have to give him the benefit of the doubt at Newbury on Saturday.

After all, if he had completed at Wetherby, he would not be anything like the general 8/1 shot (10s in places) that he is now.

The reason for the faith? The impression made by Copperhead’s 17-length stroll in the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot last February. Was it as good as it looked?

A conversation with David Bass, who was on board the runner-up Two For Gold, convinced me that it was. Bass was mightily impressed and given that the now 148-rated Two For Gold is only 9lb better off on Saturday, a mark of 152 looks to underestimate the Tizzard-trained six year-old.

He is the youngest in the line-up but is the same age as Native River was when he won in 2016.

Copperhead has won on good ground too and with the stable’s excellent recent record in the race (two wins in the past four runnings) he should be very competitive in this iconic chase with a clear round.

Aye Right bids to become the second Scottish-trained winner of the race after Ken Oliver’s Fighting Fit in 1979 and looks set to go well. He jumped superbly at Wetherby in the Charlie Hall and gets 7lb for the five-length beating given him by Vinndication when both were placed behind Cyrname.

You have to respect last year’s runner-up The Conditional but he had had two runs going into last year’s event and is also 9lb higher after his win at the Festival in March from Kildisart.

Last year’s Scottish National runner-up Cloth Cap will be staying on well late on but may lack the pace and class to win it.

SHISHKIN SO LOOKED THE PART

Pace and class? Shishkin exudes both.

What a wonderful tonic it was to see him make an impeccable chasing debut at Kempton on Monday.

He really couldn’t have made a better start and, judging on the social media reaction, the mood of every jumping fan was given a huge lift.

Already comparisons are being made to Sprinter Sacre and Altior. I suppose it is inevitable but it would be something truly extraordinary for Nicky Henderson and the Seven Barrows team if Shishkin were to go on and achieve something to compare with those two superstars of the modern game.

History would be repeating itself, not once but twice!

Now, we all can’t wait to see Shishkin again and dream of the time that he and Envoi Allen perhaps might cross swords.

There’s always something to look forward to in this game.

WHY IS BRISTOL DE MAI NOT MORE POPULAR?

A three-time winner of the Betfair Chase, Bristol De Mai reminds me of Birds Nest who won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle three times in the autumn but could never win at the Festival in the spring.

Bristol deserves all the credit after Saturday, as indeed does Nigel Twiston-Davies. It is some achievement but you do wonder, especially as a grey, why he doesn’t he get more of a following. Perhaps his lack of success at Cheltenham (0/6) is one reason.

Other than a fourth Betfair Chase, what’s going to be the aim going forward?

His blanks at Cheltenham include a solid third in the 2019 Gold Cup, so will they try again or maybe consider the Grand National in the spring? I could see him running very well around there.

He seems to have ben around for ages but is only rising 10 and is sure to be competitive at the top for a while yet.