Lulamba lived up to the hype by comfortably scoring fellow French import Mondo Man in the BetMGM Juvenile Hurdle at Ascot.
Nicky Henderson’s charge finished five lengths clear in a 16-horse race at Auteuil on his racecourse debut after being the subject of intense press coverage upon arriving at Seven Burrows.
Mondman showed great ability on the flats, finishing fifth in the French Derby and fourth behind Calandagan in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, and was acquired for 520,000 euros.
Runners Gary and Josh Moore raced too freely at the back in the early stages, while Nico de Boinville found himself in a convenient position at Lulamba chasing Viyanni.
Caoilin Quinn allowed Mondo Mann to advance three outs, but Rulamba was always in good form and the 4/5 favorite moved smoothly to the front in the home straight and finished three and a half lengths behind.
The winner was reduced to 6/4 for Triumph Hurdle glory at Cheltenham by Betfair, Coral and Paddy Power.
don’t miss the chance She continued her strong run to upset favorite Karges in the Grade 2 BetMGM Filly’s Hurdle.
Trained by Willie Mullins, Karges was making his first outing since capping off an impressive youth campaign with his second Grade 1 win at the Punchestown Festival last May.
However, the 2/5 market leader had run well under Paul Townend and looked poised to cruise and win the penultimate challenge of O Betty.
Take No Chance (left) holds off favorite Karges in the BetMGM Filly Hurdle at Ascot
However, Take No Chance (13/2) had not read the script, but she generated a determined momentum that propelled her to the front on the final flight and then continued to fight valiantly to clear Calgese by three-quarters of a length. I beat it by a difference.
The Dan Skelton-trained winner produced the best performance of her career in the win, with winning jockey Kieran Woods praising her consistency following her last four wins and a string of placings in her 15-race career. praised.
