Cheltenham Day 4 Nap of the Day: Is this Nicky’s next star?

It's a cruel, cruel game at times. Thursday's selection - also my best bet of the entire meeting - cruised through the Plate but was caught in the closing stages. Heartbreaking.

Hopefully my Cheltenham Day 4 Nap of the Day can go a place better.

With respect to East India Dock and Hello Neighbour, who've done nothing wrong this season, I think LULAMBA will take all the beating in the Triumph Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson's four-year-old was subject to a massive antepost gamble earlier this year, backed in from 20/1 to 4/1 in a matter of days.

At that point, the son of Grade 1-winning French hurdler Nirvana Du Berlais had only been seen once on a racetrack - when bolting up by five widening lengths in a conditions hurdle at Auteuil in October.

A month later, he was purchased by the Donnellys - of Al Boum Photo, Shishkin, State Man fame - to be trained by Nicky Henderson, who has an outstanding track record with juveniles.

I was against him on British debut at Ascot in mid-January on the basis he was conceding 10lbs to Gary & Josh Moore's reopposing Mondo Man, a 111-rated Flat recruit who fetched a mouth-watering €520k.

However, the weight proved no issue whatsoever as the selection brushed that rival aside, beating him by three-and-a-half lengths under a confident Nico de Boinville.

I loved everything about his performance. He settled straight away, travelled strongly throughout and jumped like a seasoned handicapper. When push came to shove, he only needed nudging from above to seal the deal.

People have knocked the form because the aforementioned Mondo Man could 'only' manage third in the G2 Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton next time out, but he wasn't beaten far after doing lots wrong and the selection did beat him very easily, with plenty left under the bonnet.

There's some depth to that Ascot form, too. The third-placed Viyanni won his other two starts, while the fourth and fifth have given very good accounts of themselves since.

More is required to win the Triumph, but Lulamba clearly has a lot more to give. He's only raced twice to date, so he fits firmly under the 'could be anything' bracket. I think he could be yet another star on the Seven Barrows factory line.

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