CHACUN Pour Soi is the general 6/4 favourite for next Saturday’s Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown following the news this week that Shishkin will miss the two-mile Grade 1 contest.

Nicky Henderson reports that Shishkin is not quite yet at concert pitch and, as a result, the unbeaten chaser will head for the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton over Christmas instead.

“There’s nothing wrong with him, but I just haven’t got there,” Henderson explained. “He just isn’t sparky at the moment. We did his wind in the autumn which wasn’t a problem, but it just put us behind the ball and Nico (de Boinville, jockey) and I both feel he’s not quite on his ‘A’ game.

“It really is a thin line. We’ve scoped him and everything and there’s nothing wrong, but you can’t afford to go into this (at) anything bar 100%.”

Willie Mullins has only won the Tingle Creek once before (Un De Sceaux, 2016) and Chacun Pour Soi is likely to face a stiff challenge next Saturday from the Dan Skelton-trained Nube Negra, an impressive winner at Cheltenham two weeks ago.

Nube Negra finished a place ahead of Chacun Pour Soi when they finished second and third behind Put The Kettle On in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham last March.