At the age of 9, the five-time Grade 1 winner Shishkin has undergone a career change this year. Gone are the two-mile races that led to 10 consecutive wins from early 2020 to early 2022, replaced by starts in chases at 2 1/2 miles. The slightly longer races seem to be a good fit for Shishkin, who will start as the odds-on favorite in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at about 2 1/2 miles at Cheltenham Racecourse in England on Thursday. The Ryanair Chase is one of three Grade 1 races on the third day of the four-day Cheltenham festival, held 100 miles west of London. Shishkin won the Grade 1 Ascot Chase at 2 5/8 miles by 16 lengths against five rivals at Ascot Racecourse on Feb. 18, a victory that ended a two-race losing streak. A winner of 12 of 15 starts, Shishkin was pulled up in the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham last March, and was a well-beaten third in the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown Park in December. :: Bet the races on DRF Bets! Sign up with code WINNING to get a $250 Deposit Match, $10 Free Bet, and FREE DRF Formulator. Shishkin later underwent a breathing operation for the second time in his career. The win at Ascot is his only subsequent start. Trained by Nicky Henderson, Shishkin has won three of four starts at Cheltenham in his career, including the 2021 Queen Mother Champion Chase. That race was held without an audience because of coronavirus restrictions. More than 70,000 are expected to attend on Thursday. Shishkin is part of a field of nine in the $456,400 Ryanair Chase, with the Irish shippers Blue Lord and Janidil rated as the biggest threats. They are both trained by Willie Mullins, the all-time leading trainer at the Cheltenham festival with 90 wins through Tuesday. Blue Lord was second in the Grade 1 Dublin Chase at 2 1/8 miles at Leopardstown Racecourse in Ireland on Feb. 5. Janidil, second in the 2022 Ryanair Chase, won the Grade 2 Red Mills Chase at 2 1/2 miles against three rivals at Gowran Park in Ireland on Feb. 18 while making his first start since April. The Grade 1 Stayers Hurdle at about three miles follows the Ryanair Chase on Thursday and is by far a more open race. In a field of 11, the 7-year-old gelding Blazing Khal was the 5-2 favorite to extend his winning streak to six races. Trained in Ireland by Charles Byrnes, Blazing Khal won the Grade 2 Boyne Hurdle at 2 5/8 miles at Navan Racecourse on Feb. 12 in his first start since December 2021. Blazing Khal overcame a recent training setback before he was cleared to start by Byrnes in the $427,600 Stayers Hurdle. Home by the Lee, trained by Joseph O’Brien, is considered a live prospect for the Stayers Hurdle on the basis of two wins since mid-November, notably the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at three miles at Leopardstown on Dec. 28 in his most recent start. :: Take your handicapping to the next level and play with FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Thursday’s Cheltenham program begins at 9:30 a.m. Eastern or 6:30 a.m. Pacific with the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase at about 2 1/2 miles. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com. The Novices’ Chase drew a field of 11 led by the O’Brien-trained Banbridge and the Mullins-trained Appreciate It. Banbridge won a 23-runner handicap hurdle restricted to apprentice jockeys at about 2 1/2 miles at Cheltenham last March. Appreciate It won the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at two miles at Cheltenham in 2021. Odds-on Constitution Hill wins Champion Hurdle The Cheltenham festival began on Tuesday with popular wins by Constitution Hill ($2.40 in American pools) in the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle and Honeysuckle ($5.20) in the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle. Constitution Hill, trained by Henderson, stretched his unbeaten streak to six races with a nine-length win under jockey Nico de Boinville in the Champion Hurdle at 2 1/16 miles. Constitution Hill was the 4-11 favorite with bookmakers, the shortest winning price in the history of the Champion Hurdle, first run in 1927. The victory was a record ninth in the Champion Hurdle by Henderson. Honeysuckle, a 9-year-old mare, won the Champion Hurdle in 2021 and 2022 and the Mares’ Hurdle in 2020. On Tuesday, Honeysuckle won the Mares’ Hurdle at 2 1/2 miles by 1 1/2 lengths over Love Envoi, racing near the front throughout under jockey Rachael Blackmore. Tuesday’s race was the final start of a remarkable career for Honeysuckle that included 17 wins in 19 starts. Honeysuckle, by Sulamani, won 12 Grade 1 races and was unbeaten in four trips to the Cheltenham festival for trainer Henry de Bromhead of Ireland. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.