Tony McFadden provides the Timeform ratings reaction following the top-class racing at Sandown on Saturday.
Lulamba (158P from 146P)
Lulamba's comprehensive victory at the Punchestown Festival, where he reversed Triumph Hurdle form with Poniros, ensured he was Timeform's highest-rated juvenile hurdler last season and, therefore, an exciting prospect for novice chasing this term.
Lulamba made a smooth start over fences when winning a beginners' chase at Exeter by ten lengths and he comfortably dealt with a step up in class in the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown on Saturday (replay below), winning in a faster time than Il Etait Temps in the Tingle Creek later in the afternoon.
He was up against three promising rivals but was sent off the 2/5 favourite and duly proved a class apart, ultimately scoring by nine and a half lengths from Be Aware, who went into the race as Britain's highest-rated novice chaser.
Lulamba now has that distinction and he is rated only 1 lb behind Romeo Coolio who heads the division following his eight-length success in the Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse. Lulamba's performance has been rated of similar merit to the one Altior produced when successful in 2016. Jonbon, who like Lulamba and Altior is trained by Nicky Henderson, posted the best performance in the Henry VIII in the last decade, by Timeform's reckoning, when beating Boothill by eight lengths in 2022.
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Il Etait Temps (174 from 172)
Il Etait Temps ended last season as Timeform's top two-mile chaser, with his Celebration Chase defeat of Jonbon rated higher than Marine Nationale's victories in the Champion Chases at Cheltenham and Punchestown.
Il Etait Temps underlined his status as the one to beat in the division by handing Jonbon an even more comprehensive beating in the Tingle Creek Chase back at Sandown, increasing the winning margin to nine lengths from five and a half lengths.
A steady early pace meant that the winning time was significantly slower than that clocked by Lulamba over the same course and distance early in the afternoon, but Il Etait Temps still deserves credit for how readily he asserted his superiority and his performance has been rated as the best in the race since Altior's victory over Un de Sceaux in 2018.
Il Etait Temps is now rated 7 lb higher than Marine Nationale and 8 lb higher than Majborough, who now has something to prove after he was again let down by his jumping when runner-up to Found A Fifty in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork. The only horse in training rated higher than Il Etait Temps is stablemate Galopin Des Champs.
Doctor Steinberg (136p from 126p)
There were some notable performances in the novice hurdle division last weekend, with Doctor Steinberg's emphatic victory in the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle one of the better efforts.
His task was made easier by favourite Port Authority failing to fire and finishing tailed off, but Doctor Steinberg still showed useful form to beat Thedeviluno by four and a half lengths. Admittedly, he was allowed to dictate a steady gallop, but he quickened up well - just as he had on his hurdling debut at Galway - and scored with enough authority to suggest he was the best horse on the day regardless.
The race was won two seasons ago by subsequent Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Slade Steel, while last year's winner The Yellow Clay went on to finish runner-up in the Turners Novices' Hurdle. Doctor Steinberg will also be worth a crack at a Grade 1 after showing a similar level of form as The Yellow Clay did in the Navan Novice Hurdle 12 months ago.
At Sandown last week there were impressive victories for No Drama This End (132P from 129P) and Hurricane Pat (130p from 124p). No Drama This End's victory in the Grade 2 Betfair Winter Novices' Hurdle didn't represent a significant step up on the form he had shown when winning a Grade 2 on his hurdling debut at Cheltenham last month, but he won with any amount in hand to back up the view that he's an excellent prospect. He retains plenty of untapped potential and has the Timeform Large P to show he's capable of much better form when the situation demands it.
The listed novice that kicked off the Sandown card on Saturday attracted five unbeaten hurdlers - all with the Timeform 'small p' - and was won by Hurricane Pat in the style of a smart prospect. He impressed with how smoothly he moved through that race and the only British novice hurdlers rated higher are Mydaddypaddy (140P), Sticktotheplan (135) and No Drama This End (132P).
Kala Conti (149p from 141p)
Kala Conti had made a pleasing start over fences when landing a beginners' chase at Cork last month and she confirmed herself a better chaser than hurdler when following up in a Grade 2 event at the same venue.
Last season's County Hurdle winner Kargese headed the market on her chasing debut, but she was readily brushed aside by Kala Conti who scored by 16 lengths, producing a performance in the region of half a stone better than subsequent Arkle runner-up Only By Night put up in last year's edition.
Only By Night ended last season rated 148 and Kala Conti has already matched that level. She's likely to be a leading contender for the Mares' Chase at Cheltenham, though her mares' allowance means she currently takes a prominent position among this season's novices.
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