William Hill Game Spirit Chase |
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| Grade 2 Handicap, Newbury 14:45 £90,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 92yds, Class 1 |
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1 Lulamba 4/11F
2
Saint Segal 6/1
3
Libberty Hunter 10/1
6 ran NR: Brookie Distances: 6½l, ¾l, 6l
Time: 4m 10.96s (slow by 13.96s)
🏆 2011 French Opera
— Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) February 7, 2026
🏆 2012 Sprinter Sacre
🏆 2017 Altior
🏆 2018 Altior
🏆 2020 Altior
🏆 2026 LULAMBA
Lulamba joins the illustrious list of @sevenbarrows winners of the Game Spirit Chase 🟡⚫️pic.twitter.com/v6cF9XY2LP
Lulamba underlined his status as the Arkle market leader at Cheltenham with a polished display against older rivals, ultimately drawing clear to win with something in hand.
Nicky Henderson’s desire to add experience to the education of his lightly raced five-year-old looked fully justified. Despite arriving with just two previous starts over fences, one of them at Grade One novice level, this was another important box ticked.
It was not all plain sailing in the early stages. Lulamba was slow to find his rhythm, jumping big and conceding ground as a result, leaving himself with work to do as the race began to take shape.
By halfway, Nico de Boinville had manoeuvred him onto the heels of Saint Segal and Master Chewy, though he was having to niggle along as they swung for home. Turning in, the favourite still had a question to answer.
That question was emphatically resolved once they straightened up. Meeting the fences on a better stride, Lulamba suddenly came alive, producing some of his slickest jumping when it mattered most and quickly asserting his authority.
De Boinville was never required to get serious, allowing his mount to stretch clear for a decisive six-and-a-half-length success over Saint Segal.
The bookmakers reacted swiftly. Paddy Power trimmed him to 11-8 from 6-4 for the Arkle, while Coral went further still, installing him as their even-money favourite for the Festival two-mile championship.
Henderson said: “The reason he was here was because he needed the practice as he got none at Exeter and then was great at Sandown, but when you are jumping round with those older horses here you are jumping half a gear faster and that is what he will have to do at Cheltenham.
“He will go further without a shadow of a doubt and I don’t think that is his ground even though I was surprised by how it was. Nico and I walked round this morning and we were perfectly happy to run, but he must be better on good ground and I do think he will jump better on good ground.
“He’s a horse who loves life and despite the ground I think he has really enjoyed himself and I liked the way he quickened up from the second last, the gears work.
“You can see what we were trying to do, he didn’t need the race but he needed the experience and it is against those older horses who can go a proper good gallop when you learn – they teach you a bit and you have to jump that little stride quicker.
“It can take him time to warm up and he was the same at Sandown and it was once he got down into the back straight there that he latched on.
“He’s got lots of scope and there is plenty of time for a little bit of practice. His jumping has a little bit of finessing to come, but that will be there I hope, come the second Tuesday in March.”
It was De Boinville’s only ride of the day and despite the early start to accompany the Seven Barrows handler walking the course, he can return home happy after Lulamba ticked all the boxes in this educational outing the jockey has won three times in the past aboard the imperious Altior.
De Boinville said: “He is a novice in open company there against seasoned handicappers and just took a bit of time to learn on the job.
“Once we turned in and he got a bit of light, away he went, and once I got up on that inside rail he came alive.
“It was very much about education today and we were very keen to get this run into him because those fences at Cheltenham come up quick. We were umming and ahhing whether to run but he’s gone and done the job.
“He’s got a big engine and I don’t want to compare him to any others but I was very happy.”
Wiliam Hill Game Spirit Chase
(Grade 2) £90,000 guaranteed,
5yo plus, 2m 92y, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Heavy, Soft in places
POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 Lulamba 5 11-3 Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 4/11F
2 6½ Saint Segal 8 11-2 Jane Williams Ciaran Gethings 6/1
3 ¾ Libberty Hunter 10 11-2 Evan Williams Sean Bowen 10/1
4 6 Calico 10 11-2 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 25/1
5 17 Master Chewy 9 11-8 Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 25/1
6 21 Meetmebythesea 6 11-2 Ben Pauling Harry Cobden 12/1
NR 3 Brookie 9 11-2 Anthony Honeyball NON RUNNER
Betfair Exchange Chase – Roll of Honour
YEAR WINNER TRAINER JOCKEY AGE/WEIGHT SP RAN
2025 MASTER CHEWY Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 8 11-5 11/1 6
2024 EDWARDSTONE Alan King Tom Cannon 10 11-8 11/10F 4
2023 FUNAMBULE SIVAOLA Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 8 11-8 7/1 4
2022 FUNAMBULE SIVAOLA Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 7 11-00 9/4 4
2021 SCEAU ROYAL Alan King Daryl Jacob 9-11-00 3/1F 6
2020 ALTIOR Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 10-11-06 1/3F 6
2019 Abandoned - Equine Flu scare
2018 ALTIOR NJ Henderson Nico de Boinville 08-11-06 1/3F 3
2017 ALTIOR NJ Henderson Nico de Boinville 07-11-05 30/100F 4
2016 TOP GAMBLE Kerry Lee Richard Johnson 08-11-05 10/11F 4
2015 MR MOLE Paul Nicholls A P McCoy 07-11-06 7/2 5
2014 MODULE Tom George Paddy Brennan 07-11-02 11/8F 4
2013 WISHFULL THINKING Philip Hobbs Richard Johnson 10-11-06 4/1 6
2012 SPRINTER SACRE Nicky Henderson Barry Geraghty 06-11-05 2/5F 6
2011 FRENCH OPERA Nicky Henderson Barry Geraghty 08-11-05 7/2 7
2010 MASTER MINDED Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 07-11-10 8/13F 5
2009 Abandoned - Snow
2008 MASTER MINDED Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 05-11-04 7/4 6
2007 WELL CHIEF David Pipe Timmy Murphy 08-11-00 5/2 8
*2006 DON’T BE SHY Martin Pipe Timmy Murphy 05-10-11 5/4F 4
2005 AZERTYUIOP Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 08-11-10 11/10F 6
2004 AZERTYUIOP Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 07-11-05 4/11F 6
2003 KADARANN Paul Nicholls Joe Tizzard 06-11-04 5/1 5
2002 LADY CRICKET Martin Pipe A P McCoy 08-11-01 15/8 7
2001 FUNCTION DREAM Mary Reveley Anthony Ross 09-11-03 7/4 6
2000 FLAGSHIP UBERALLES Paul Nicholls Joe Tizzard 06-11-13 1/4F 3
1999 CELIBATE Charlie Mann Mick Fitzgerald 08-11-03 7/2 6
1998 ASK TOM Tom Tate Russ Garritty 09-11-10 13/8F 4
1997 DOUBLE SYMPHONY Charlie Brooks Jamie Osborne 09-10-12 4/5F 3
1996 VIKING FLAGSHIP David Nicholson Adrian Maguire 09-11-10 5/2 6
1995 NAKIR Simon Christian Jamie Osborne 07-11-10 5/2 3
1994 VIKING FLAGSHIP David Nicholson Adrian Maguire 07-11-10 3/1 5
1993 WATERLOO BOY David Nicholson Richard Dunwoody 10-11-07 9/4 5
1992 WATERLOO BOY David Nicholson Richard Dunwoody 09-11-10 10/11F 6
*Run at Lingfield Park after Newbury was abandoned because of frost











