THREE quick-fire Grade 1 races opened the Aintree Festival on Thursday, and whilst some horses had left their races at the Cheltenham Festival, Jango Baie thrived and stamped his class on the Aintree Bowl Chase, writes Page Fuller.

Many people were doubting his chances after a hard run last month chasing home Gaelic Warrior in the Gold Cup, and whilst his performance wasn’t perfect, he made easy work of his competition.

The jumping standard of the field in general was a little ropey, but the further they went, the better Jango Baie jumped. He lost 3.93mph on average over the first 10 fences, losing more than 7mph at the second fence and more than 5mph at the fifth. He sharpened up from there though, only losing 2.77mph on average over the next 9 fences and losing less than 3mph at 7 of them.

Sometimes it’s difficult to establish in horse racing whether winning margins are established from horses quickening or rivals slowing down, but in Jango Baie’s case it was both.

He was the only horse in the race to hit a Top Speed faster than 33 mph (33.28mph) and he did it in the penultimate furlong. His Finishing Speed Percentage of 102% was also the only higher than 100%, with Protektorat recording a Finishing Speed Percentage of 97% in second.

He has further proved himself as one of the elite staying chasers in the country, and all roads now lead to seeing whether he will be turning the tables in the Gold Cup next March.