Future bright for Janika as he lands first British success in Haldon Gold Cup

Janika enabled Nicky Henderson to roll back the years after the six-year-old became his first winner of the Grade 2 Haldon Gold Cup since the golden age of Travado, who landed a hat-trick in the race in the early 1990s.

Partnered by owners’ Simon Munir and Isaac Souede's retained rider Daryl Jacob, the ex-French-trained Janika landed his first prize in Britain after being placed in handicap company at both the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals last spring.

Jumping to the front at the fourth-last fence, the 5-2 favourite then had to be kept up to his work up the long home straight before staying on well to see off Dolos and Destrier by two and a quarter lengths and three-quarters of a length.

Jacob said of the winner, who was shortened into 16-1 from 33-1 for the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham in March by Coral: “He got hammered by the handicapper last season for getting beaten at the likes of Cheltenham and Aintree, so he fully deserved to win a race like this.

“They went a nice gallop throughout and that helped his chance, but when Destrier made a bit of a mistake at the fourth-last we got left in front, and that was probably a lot sooner than I would have ideally liked. But he is a small horse with a big heart as he showed there.

“I actually thought the drop back in trip from around 2m5f was a bit of a question mark, but he has stuck to his task really well, especially as the ground would have been a bit on the quick side for him.”

Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, Jacob added: “He is only six years old, so he has his future ahead of him and I do not see any problem with him stepping back up in distance. There are going to be plenty of options.”

Paul Nicholls said he was “very pleased” with the performance of Dolos. “He has run a blinder off a career-high handicap mark. We will have a think about it, but something like the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon at the beginning of December might suit him as it gives him plenty of time between then and now,” he added.

Destrier also had Dan Skelton thinking in terms of the future and said: “No excuses. He's run his race and jumped well in the main, apart from taking a bit of a liberty at the fourth-last fence. I think the horse is better going left handed in a perfect world and we will have a sort through the entries book.”

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