Lulamba makes an impressive British debut
Lulamba makes an impressive British debut

Cheltenham Festival latest: Lulamba unlikely to tackle Sky Bet Supreme


Nicky Henderson has given an indication that Lulamba is likely to stick down the juvenile route at the Cheltenham Festival rather than run in the Sky Bet Supreme.

The four-year-old French recruit was a major antepost gamble for the JCB Triumph Hurdle before he even stepped foot on a racecourse in Britain and hardened at the head of the market following his striking odds-on win at Ascot on January 18.

However, Lulamba was also trading as short as 4/1 in places (NRNB) for the Supreme after being entered in the Festival opener as well and while that remains an option for the time being, it seems not a lot Henderson saw at the Dublin Racing Festival over the weekend has encouraged him to swerve the Triumph.

Firstly, Gavin Cromwell’s Hello Neighbour won the Gannon’s City Recovery & Recycling Services Juvenile Hurdle by three-quarters of a length from Galileo Dame, then on Sunday Kopek Des Bordes was slashed in the betting for the Sky Bet Supreme after a 13-length victory in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle.

Henderson said on Monday’s Nick Luck Daily Podcast: “I suppose the winner (Hello Neighbour) is unbeaten on the Flat and over hurdles. He could be very progressive. As a bunch, they probably finished at bit on top of each other though.

“The impressive horses for the meeting were the ones - Willie’s two novices (Final Demand and Kopek Des Bordes) - that got right away. They looked very impressive.

“So you have to say for those four-year-olds - as much as the winner looked a nice horse - they did finish a little bit on top of each other.

“It (Kopek De Bordes’ wide-margin win) certainly suggested that (Supreme) might be the hotter division, I thought he was very good and jumped very well which I think is the relevant part of it really.”

Reflecting on the Seven Barrows novice hurdlers on the whole, the trainer stated that his expectations regarding the Supreme, Turners Novices’ Hurdle and Albert Bartlett are unusually low this season.

Henderson said: “To be honest, I don’t think we have (got any top novices). Not of that calibre.

“We’ve some nice novices, probably staying ones, and some very nice fillies. I think our girls are better than the boys this year.

“But we probably wouldn’t have a Supreme horse, I must admit. Possibly that’s why Lulamba was in there, we were trying to find one!”


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