Instead, Shishkin will now have his first run out of the season at the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton. This race takes place on day two of the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival on Monday, 27 December.
Henderson ruled out injury, saying: “I’ve just spoken to (owner) Joe Donnelly, and we’ve sadly and reluctantly decided that Shishkin is not going to run in the Tingle Creek,
“There’s nothing wrong with him, but I just haven’t got there. He worked this morning, and he just isn’t sparky at the moment. I think I just got behind the ball a little bit.
“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 per cent.”
Although it is a disappointment that Shishkin won’t be running, Henderson is likely to be focused on Shiskin’s stablemate, former Champion Hurdle winner Epatante who is in action this weekend and looking to defend her Fighting Fifth crown.
The mare is struggling for form after having surgery on her back over the summer.
Since winning at Newcastle in November last year (won while priced at 8/11f by 4½L), the seven-year-old lost at Kempton a month later (btn 6½L Silver Streak) and has beaten into third at Cheltenham in March (btn 9½L Honeysuckle) and April this year (btn 12½L Honeysuckle).
Henderson said of the horse: “We’re all set to go, we’ve been very happy as her work has been good, and she had a nice away day at Newbury. As with last year, I think she’s in good form.
“She was very impressive beating Sceau Royal [last year], but he was very good at Wincanton the other day, so I don’t think it’s going to be that straightforward this time.
“The first part is the Fighting Fifth, then hopefully that takes us to the Christmas Hurdle, and then you have to start worrying about Honeysuckle again.”
Henderson also has an interest in Friday’s racing at Newbury, with Jonbon making his hurdles debut. A brother to multiple Grade One winner Douvan, the horse won at Dromahane in November by 15 lengths and won by 4½L over Flying Demon at Newbury in March this year.
On Jonbon, Henderson said: “He’s unaware of the pressure, and I don’t quite know how it’s got to this stage,” Henderson said. This is a horse that has won a point-to-point and a bumper.
“At the moment, he is getting headlines for all the wrong reasons.
“We took him to Newbury the other day, and he’s quite a busy horse, so I was in two minds whether to just let him walk around the paddock and go home.
“He got a bit warm but was pretty good. It probably did him good.
“When he ran in his bumper, we were still under Covid restrictions, so there were actually more people on the press day than the day he won the bumper.
“His race [on Friday] was scheduled to be the first race, but it’s actually now be moved to the third, only because this hype has brought him onto the television, which only puts more pressure on me, him and everyone else.”
