The Cheltenham Festival: Will Shishkin, Envoi Allen and Monkfish all shine again?

Shishkin, Envoi Allen and Monkfish have been there, done that, and got the T-shirt when it comes to the Cheltenham Festival. Well, at least over hurdles anyway.

Between them, they scooped the top novice hurdles over distances ranging between 2m and 3m at the Festival last season. And now the trio are hot favourites to replicate their exploits over fences this time around.

Shishkin is a best-priced Evens to land the Arkle, while Envoi Allen is a general 5-6 for the Marsh Novices’ Chase. Meanwhile, Monkfish is no bigger than 8-11 for the Festival Novices’ Chase, formerly the RSA.

None of them have lost over fences and their combined form under Rules reads F1111122111111111111111111. Add another couple of 1s if you want to include point-to-point form.

At the general odds on offer, it is about 5-1 that three of the brightest young stars in the sport all win again and continue their trajectory to the top.

Who knows, perhaps next year they will each have another Festival win on their CVs and be chasing further glory in the Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Jump races can change in a split-second and the trio will need to avoid banana skins and combine to produce another 15 minutes or so of perfection if they are to delight their respective fan clubs.

Here’s a closer look at three horses who will make or break the Festival for many punters, especially those on at inflated ante-post odds.

Trainer: Nicky Henderson. Jockey: Nico de Boinville. General odds: 4-6

Overcame adversity to win a strong renewal of the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last season and faultless in his two starts over fences this term, thumping a 147-rated rival last time. He already boasts a mark of 164 and the last Arkle runner to be rated so high was Footpad, who won in 2018.

He’s yet to make a semblance of a mistake, negotiating 35 fences at Kempton (mostly the same ones) in assured fashion.

Bags of speed, for all that he’s also won over an extended 2m3f. He’s been strong at the finish of his races and his breeding points to him staying further but nobody is suggesting he needs stepping up in trip.

It was a case of love at first sight in the Supreme last year, when even some traffic problems could not stop him winning.

He’s raced predominately on soft going, although the word “good” was in the going description when he won impressively on his return at Kempton.

Yet to run against more than three rivals in a chase, so as things stand a big-field Arkle (although that’s far from certain) run at a searching pace could be a bit of a shock to his system. That said, he did not flinch in the hurly-burly of the 15-runner Supreme.

Ticks just about every box and set to have one more run before lining up. Those concerned at his relative lack of chasing experience should note that 13 of the past 16 winners had only three or four runs over fences beforehand. The one stumbling block looked Energumene, who was ruled out last week.

Trainer: Gordon Elliott. Jockey: Davy Russell. Odds: 5-6.

From day one, almost three years ago when he won a point-to-point with Appreciate It back in third, he has been flawless. Eleven wins under Rules have yielded as many wins, with two of his five Grade One triumphs being achieved at the Cheltenham Festival. His rating over hurdles was elevated to 160 after his victory in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. The handicappers have yet to allot him a mark over fences.

Forty hurdles and as many fences have been negotiated with tremendous fluency. Since being switched to chasing, Ruby Walsh has been among the many admirers of this horse's technique and quick mind.

Envoi Allen’s dozen wins (including his point success) have been achieved over distances ranging between 2m and 2m5f, with Gordon Elliott identifying the Marsh Chase as his Festival target from the start of this season. He has also been entered in the Arkle and Festival Novices’ Chase but there is no suggestion his target has moved. He was brought for £400,000 with winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup the ambition, but longer trips can wait.

You cannot quibble with a horse who has delivered the good at successive Festival meetings - in the Champion Bumper and then the Ballymore.

He seems effective on all going, winning on ground ranging between good and heavy.

Many professionals in the sport agree his recent switch of stable, from Gordon Elliott to Henry de Bromhead for well-documented reasons, is not ideal. Apparently he had a wind op before the start of this season and wears a tongue-tie, but it's not been to his detriment this season.

You can argue he's yet to achieve much in small-field, steadily-run novice chases, but you can only beat what is in front of you. Barring misfortune, he’s going to take all the beating.

Trainer: Willie Mullins. Jockey: Paul Townend. Odds: 8-11.

The tall, imposing Monkfish always looked like he was marking time over hurdles but it still did not stop him landing the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in tenacious style at the Festival last year. The switch to fences has gone without a hitch, with a fluent win at Fairyhouse over 2m 5f being followed by a swift switch to Grade One company and victory in the Neville Hotels Novices' Chase at Leopardstown, when he beat another Grade One-winning hurdler in Latest Exhibition. He then enhanced his reputation by thumping that same rival in the Flogas Novice Chase last time.

Timeform have described him as a “gawky type” but he’s been nimble over the larger obstacles and he's been tremendously accurate, especially in the closing stages at Leopardstown on his penultimate start when Latest Exhibition would have taken advantage of any cracks in that department. Cheltenham will ask new questions but that will be the same for all the runners, or the vast majority of them.

It looks like a case of the further the better for Monkfish, who is clearly all stamina. He is unbeaten in four starts when racing over 2m6f or further, and should stay the Gold Cup trip when the time comes. He was also entered in the National Hunt Chase, over 3m 6f.

Travelled and jumped well on the New Course last year, bar one blunder about halfway. The Festival Novices’ Chase in on the Old Course, which is sharper, but he didn't look short of speed dropped in trip last time and, in any case, this is a race that always make demands on stamina reserves.

He’s proven on going ranging from good to soft to heavy, and underfoot conditions seem unlikely to be offered as an excuse if he is beaten.

Denman and Don Poli have been the only winners this century with an unblemished record over fences, but it would be churlish to suggest Monkfish’s 100 per cent record over fences is a negative.

There's nothing not to like about Monkfish, and he was brilliant at last month's Dublin Racing Festival. He's established himself as the best in the division and is open to more improvement.