Jango Baie and Nico de Boinville© Photo Healy Racing
Jango Baie made a superb start to his chasing career with a slick victory in the SSS Super Alloys Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.
Nicky Henderson’s five-year-old bay was a Grade One novice winner over hurdles, with a second-placed point-to-point run further back on his record.
He returned to jumping larger obstacles under rules in the hands of Nico de Boinville at 7-4, with much of the attention on the Paul Nicholls-trained Caldwell Potter, who was sent off the 11-10 favourite.
The latter was at the head of affairs, but Jango Baie had very close tabs on him all the way around and when the field turned for home it was Henderson’s contender who was able to kick on to an impressive win, as Springwell Bay took second and €740,000 purchase Caldwell Potter finished third.
Henderson said: “I always think it’s a big test for a novice to come here first time over fences and I don’t like doing it.
“I was going to go to Aintree last Saturday for a three-horse race, but that was off and I was forced into coming here. My rule is not to come here first time, but this fellow is very clever.
“Nico asked him some proper questions for a baby and he got some proper answers as well. For not the biggest horse in the world, he’s got a lot of scope.
“He certainly wasn’t stopping at the end there over two-and-a-half (miles), he galloped right out. He looks a stayer.
“The owner has got Jingko Blue, who put up a smart performance at Uttoxeter a couple of days ago, as well. We are lucky we’ve got some nice novice chasers this year, so we’ve got to see who is two miles and who is three now there’s no two and a half (at the Festival). They’re high-class problems.”
Of Caldwell Potter, whose ownership group, that includes Sir Alex Ferguson, went to a record price for a jumps horse in training to secure the grey in February, Nicholls said: “Harry (Cobden) was thrilled with him, he said he jumped great and has learnt an awful lot today.
“We didn’t learn a massive amount up at Carlisle, his jumping was good and Harry said he definitely wants slower ground than that.
“He could have gone a gear quicker if he wanted to, but he didn’t want to ask too many questions of his jumping. We’ve learnt a lot today and perhaps you wouldn’t be afraid to go back to two miles if it was really testing ground and just let him roll on.
“Today he jumped well, they sprinted up the straight and he was just done for a little bit of toe, but he only had a few runs over hurdles and is learning all the time. I think there’s a lot to come.
“We weren’t going to run him, but we just thought it would be good to get him some experience around here. Rome wasn’t built in a day and Harry said don’t be disappointed, he’ll be fine.”
