Lulamba tightened his hold on Arkle favouritism with a commanding success in the William Hill Game Spirit Chase at Newbury, beating older rivals and leaving a strong impression for Cheltenham. Ridden by Nico de Boinville and trained by Nicky Henderson, the five-year-old was sent out to gain experience after just two previous runs over fences, one of them in Grade 1 novice company — a plan that paid off.
The race began with Lulamba a bit keen and taking big jumps, which cost him ground early on. By halfway he was held up behind Saint Segal and Master Chewy, getting asked for his effort as the field turned in. At the top of the straight the 4/11 favourite found another gear, produced some of his best leaps and eased clear to win by six and a half lengths from Saint Segal.
That performance prompted bookmakers to shorten his Arkle price: Paddy Power moved him to 11/8 from 6/4 and Coral made him their even-money pick.
Henderson said the outing was designed to give the horse the race practice he missed after Exeter and to build on his Sandown run. He explained that running against older horses brings a stronger tempo and forces crisper jumping — attributes that will be valuable at Cheltenham. Henderson added that Lulamba will stay further and should be even better on good ground, admitting they were surprised by the going but were satisfied to run after inspecting the course with Nico.
The trainer liked the way Lulamba quickened after the second last, saying the run was less about a needed race and more about experience. He noted the horse can take a little time to warm up, as he did at Sandown, but once into the back straight he latched onto the race. There is still room to sharpen his jumping, Henderson said, but with the colt’s scope and time to fine-tune he remains a leading contender for the Arkle on the second Tuesday in March.