Trainer Nicky Henderson has decided against running his Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Jango Baie in the upcoming Denman Chase at Newbury. The move aims to preserve the horse's condition for the festival, given the expected testing ground conditions. This withdrawal shifts the market favorite for Saturday's race to Haiti Couleurs.
Nicky Henderson, the renowned trainer based at Seven Barrows, has confirmed that Jango Baie will skip his planned final preparation race before the Cheltenham Festival. The nine-year-old, last season's Arkle winner and currently the 9-2 second-favorite for the Gold Cup, was originally slated for the Grade 2 Denman Chase at Newbury this Saturday. Henderson cited concerns over the likely soft or heavy ground as the primary reason, stating it would be too risky.
"Jango Baie will not run at Newbury," Henderson told the Racing Post. "I’m not going to risk him. I spoke to Tony [Barney, owner] last night. It doesn’t matter if it’s going to be soft, heavy, or heavy, soft, it’s going to be very hard work, and we know that. He’s been very good fresh, and his first run this season at Ascot was very good. On any other ground he’d be there."
Jango Baie enters the Cheltenham blue riband in strong form, having been narrowly beaten by half a length in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day. His defection opens the door for Haiti Couleurs, winner of the Welsh Grand National and now the 4-7 favorite under trainer Rebecca Curtis. At Cheltenham, Jango Baie is expected to renew rivalry with Fact To File, who recently claimed victory in the Irish Gold Cup at Punchestown, and possibly Gaelic Warrior, fresh off a second-place finish in the same Irish race.
Henderson, who last triumphed in the Gold Cup in 2013 with Bobs Worth, remains optimistic about his chances. He also plans to run promising novices: Old Park Star as the favorite for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Lulamba for the Arkle, with the latter potentially seeing action at Newbury despite not needing the run. This strategic approach underscores Henderson's focus on peaking his string for the festival's demanding conditions.
