Nicky Henderson relishing King George test with Jango Baie

Nicky Henderson is confident Jango Baie has the right attributes to thrive in what is shaping up to be a Christmas cracker of a King George VI Chase.

The Seven Barrows handler’s Arkle hero was sent off the 9-4 favourite for last Saturday’s 1965 Chase at Ascot and duly obliged with an impressive display that laid down an early marker for Kempton’s Boxing Day feature.

On the same afternoon The Jukebox Man booked his ticket with a comeback success at Haydock, while Sunday saw Gaelic Warrior cement his status as King George favourite with a rousing success in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase, teeing up a mouthwatering renewal.

Of Jango Baie, Henderson said: “You’ve got to go to Kempton on Boxing Day with him and that seemed a nice, easy solution at 1.45pm on Saturday afternoon – but then The Jukebox Man ran and Gaelic Warrior won on Sunday and you are thinking blimey, we’re in something here! It’s going to be a good race.

“He jumped well and travelled well and what I did like is how he picked up from the last and went away. He’s got a gear and even had a gear over two miles and he’s got the pace to be in the race because he can travel as well.”

Jango Baie is the general 3-1 second-favourite for one of the highlights of the festive season and despite Henderson being open to questioning the strength of his Ascot victory, he is hoping the form stands up to scrutiny on December 26.

He explained: “You have to look at the race and put it on paper – there was Il Est Francais and Pic D’Orhy in there who are two ready-made Grade One winners.

“Poor Il Est Francais wasn’t the same horse as he was in the King George or the Feltham (Kauto Star Novices’ Chase) the year before and he didn’t run his race. But then if Paul (Nicholls) thinks Pic D’Orhy has run his race then ours has to be a seriously good performance.

“Gidleigh Park is another people might question, but I think he is a lovely horse and he was second. When we met before there wasn’t much between us and we finished lame actually.

“All of a sudden you could pick a hole in it and that’s me playing devil’s advocate. You could ask what did he beat on the day, but I’m hoping that is not true and it proves to be a great performance.”