Nicky Henderson’s Jango Baie will drop back to two miles in a bid to fill the hole in the Seven Barrows squad that was formed when Sir Gino was sadly ruled out for the season through injury.

The Nicky Henderson-trained six-year-old, who won the Grade 1 Formby Novices' Hurdle at Aintree back in 2023, made a winning chase debut over an extended two-and-a-half miles at Cheltenham in December before only finding Ben Pauling's talented Handstands a short-head too good in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices' Chase at Sandown at the beginning of the month.

Connections could have stepped up to three miles at the Cheltenham Festival, but with Sir Gino ruled out for the season due to an infection in his leg, Jango Baie will now drop back to two miles to take on last year's Triumph Hurdle winner and unbeaten chaser Majborough in the Arkle Trophy.

"We're very lucky to have super subs," said Henderson at a media morning organised by the Jockey Club. "That (running Jango Baie in the Arkle) would be our line of thinking at the moment. Our original thought was that he's probably a two-and-a-half-mile horse and the obvious thing would be for him to come down rather than go up.

"You go up and I'm sure he'd stay three miles, that's the dilemma. They took the two-and-a-half-mile race away just the year I want it in there, but on the other hand, would Ronnie's (Bartlett) horse, Ballyburn, stay at two and a half if the two-and-a-half was still there? Or would he go to three anyway?

"He goes a good gallop anyway. Majborough was going to be Sir Gino's rival. They're both five-year-olds and it would have been very strange to see that happen. Two five-year-olds in the Arkle would have been a rare one."

Asked about Jango Baie's run when second to Handstands by just a short head in the Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Chase at Sandown Park last time out, Henderson added: "I thought it was really good.

"A short head's a short head and that was in horrible ground. I thought he did great, he jumped beautifully. He's accurate like that and he's got pace on better ground.

"We were thinking two and a half then going up to three but then Sir Gino's left the door open from our point of view anyway. So, I think that's the way we would be thinking."

The Seven Barrows handler also provided an update on Sir Gino, who shot to the top of the ante-post Arkle market after a destructive defeat of Ballyburn on his first start over fences in the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices' Chase at Kempton over Christmas.

According to Henderson, Sir Gino's condition remains stable as he continues to be treated by specialists at Donnington Grove Equine Hospital.

He said: "He's still in the clinic and he'll be there for another week anyway. I think they're hoping that if he stays the same for a week then we might be starting to get out of the woods, but he's still got a way to go yet.

"The signs are positive because he's stable. He's very happy. He honestly doesn't know – he's in no pain or anything. They've just got to get this bug under control and it's a sort of superbug

that gets into them. How they get in I've no idea – you'd have to ask the vets. It's bizarre and very, very rare and it can be dangerous.

"I think I've seen one before. People say they had that with such and such a horse five years ago. The outcome wasn't always ok. It's dangerous."