PERHAPS the most significant performance of the week away from Newbury came at Huntingdon on Thursday, when Shishkin won the Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle by 11 lengths.

The opposition could have been stronger, but they were all useful, and in dismissing them as he did Shishkin took another big step to stardom. I have a 155 rating after a sectional upgrade, which is heady stuff, though this is proving to be a vintage season for shorter-distanced novice hurdlers.