Triumph Hurdle plunge horse Lulamba set for Kempton contest

Nicky Henderson has attempted to dampen the hype surrounding new Triumph Hurdle favourite Lulamba ahead of his planned British debut at Kempton Park on Saturday.

The French recruit has been backed in from 25-1 to 4-1 favouritism for the juvenile championship at the Cheltenham Festival in March, with comparisons being made to his esteemed stablemate Sir Gino, who also started off life for Henderson and owners Joe and Marie Donnelly at Kempton last season.

While Sir Gino ultimately missed the Triumph Hurdle, he did win a Grade One at Aintree in the spring and has been hugely impressive in winning the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and the Wayward Lad Novices' Chase so far this season.

Like Sir Gino, Lulamba is set to make his first start for his new connections having won on his only outing at Auteuil and is cramped odds for the juvenile hurdle which opens the weekend card.

Speaking on Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast, Henderson said: "It’s hard to tell, he’s had one run in France and he did win. It’s hard to tell the form, they were nearly all debutants.

"He did that nicely, but you’ve no idea what it was and what was in there. He’s just a fine, big horse. If he was in England, I suspect he’d probably still be in the field, but they tend to get on with them in France.

"He’s a very nice, very straightforward, scopey animal.

"Sir Gino was always very freaky, he was very speedy from the word go. They’re pretty different."

Lulamba’s rivals include another exciting French import in the form of the Paul Nicholls-trained Sauvignon, and James Owen’s high-class Flat performer Lavender Hill Mob, who is bidding to make it third time lucky over obstacles.

"I think this looks a very competitive contest to be honest with you. I think if you look at