‘Things didn’t go to plan but don’t give up on him’ - Five horses to keep on side for the rest of the jumps season Whilst the Cheltenham Festival has been and gone, the National Hunt season is far from over and there’s plenty more to come. With that in mind, we’ve selected five horses who could still have something to say before the season comes to an end. Amongst them is a Willie Mullins-trained Cheltenham Festival runner who is due some better luck. Karbau All the signs were pointing to a big run in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, as Paul Townend was riding in a handicap for the first and last time of the meeting. Things didn’t quite go to plan but don’t give up on him just yet, as he was very unlucky on the day. Held up in the early stages, it was hard for hold-up horses to catch the prominent runners all week and those tactics did his chances no favours. He was stuck behind a wall of horses for the entire race and didn’t get a gap until it was far too late. Jango Baie Nicky Henderson’s gelding won the Arkle last season and developed into a bonafide Gold Cup contender this term. Jango Baie was fourth in the King George but really wasn’t beaten far in an extremely bunched finish. The pace of the race probably didn’t suit. He needed to prove his stamina in the Gold Cup and he definitely did so, keeping on well to finish second. Gaelic Warrior’s career-best performance was hard to compete against but if Jango Baie heads to Aintree, he could prove very difficult to beat. Final Orders Gavin Cromwell hasn’t had the best of seasons by his incredibly high standards but he still managed to land a Cheltenham Festival winner and he will be much encouraged by Inothewayurthinkin’s third in the Gold Cup on Friday. Final Orders received an excellent ride from Connor Stone-Walsh to win the Cross Country Chase, in which Cromwell had a 1-3-4, and many will fancy him for the Grand National off the back of that performance. Clearly he has a bit in hand now, so keep him on side. Talk To The Man Paul Nicholls’ six-year-old is distantly related to Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere and despite failing to win a bumper, he appears to have loads of potential over hurdles. This £100,000 purchase won well at Taunton in February, on his first start for 318 days. A 7lb penalty made no difference at Newbury after that and he dispatched an Irish raider with a minimal amount of fuss. Fences will surely see him to best effect next time but there could be more to come over hurdles and Aintree could well be on the agenda. Narciso Has Willie Mullins’ Narciso Has could be special and he has made an excellent impression in his last two starts for the yard. The French import was lacking sharpness when beaten on stable debut at Fairyhouse but he ran a solid enough race to finish second. Much better in a Grade 2 next time, he kicked 11 lengths clear of the runner-up and he always looked like the winner. The Dublin Racing Festival was next on the agenda and won well again. A setback caused him to miss Cheltenham but he would be a strong fancy at Punchestown or Aintree.
