Shishkin won’t be hurried

NICKY Henderson has refused to nail down a definite comeback date for chasing ace Shishkin.

The top two-miler exercised with Coral Gold Cup meeting hopefuls Champ and Chantry House at Newbury yesterday.

Sidelined since his Cheltenham Festival hat-trick bid was aborted mid-race in March, Shishkin was diagnosed with a rare bone problem.

Henderson has nursed him back towards Sandown’s Tingle Creek on December 3, a Grade 1 previously captured by two of his stars, Sprinter Sacre (2012) and Altior (2018).

Haldon Gold Cup scorer Greaneteen, one of 12 entries, is William Hill’s 13-8 favourite to repeat last year’s heroics and extend Paul Nicholls’ record to 13 titles.

But Henderson is not committing Shishkin (7-4) to the clash – and stressed everything would have to be right for him to appear