Jango Baie and Lulamba are on track to spearhead a strong team for Nicky Henderson at Aintree's Grand National meeting in April.

Jango Baie was having his third run of the campaign when finishing second in the Gold Cup on Friday and is a likely contender for the Aintree Bowl Chase on April 9.

A late mistake sealed Lulamba's fate in Tuesday's Arkle, but the Game Spirit winner emerged from the race with plenty of credit in finishing third behind Kargese, and could step up in trip for the Manifesto Novices' Chase on the opening day at Aintree.

Jingko Blue could join the Seven Barrows squad at Aintree, while options remain open for Jonbon following his second in the Ryanair Chase on Thursday.

After drawing a blank at the Cheltenham Festival, Paul Nicholls and Sam Twiston-Davies were back in the winners’ enclosure after Isaac Des Obeaux stormed to success in the JenningsBet Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on Saturday.

Ridden by Twiston-Davies for the first time, the winner was prominent behind the Joe Tizzard Rock My Way and only those two were in contention in the gruelling test of stamina as they came to the final and 25th fence, where there was a moment when the pair collided as they prepared to jump.

On the run-in Isaac Des Obeaux showed no signs of struggling with the trip, just under a mile further than he had ever run before, and he ran on to beat Rock My Way by eight lengths.

Mick Mulvany claimed a second Irish Lincolnshire after mudlark Ribee powered through the heavy ground to produce a dominant performance on day one of the Irish flat season.

Ribee was a winner of his final two starts on testing surfaces last season, but was sent off at 20-1 for this event.

Amateur rider Charlie Marshall was handed a 12-day ban for continuing on a horse who appeared to have no more to give after an unwelcome finish to the hunter chase at Fakenham on Friday.

Marshall's mount Go On Chez was left on his own when the favourite, Janika, unseated his rider two out, with the other two runners already out of the race by that stage.

However, Go On Chez himself looked very tired, hung right and tried to pull himself up before the final fence.

He had slowed virtually to a walk and only just managed to scramble over the last to secure victory.

By Peter Moore