No change of plan for Lulamba with Exeter calling

State Man’s season-ending injury could prompt a reshuffle for Willie Mullins, but plans remain unchanged at Seven Barrows, where Nicky Henderson is keen to launch Lulamba’s chasing career at Exeter on Monday.

Like State Man, last year’s Triumph Hurdle runner-up and Punchestown Festival winner is owned by Joe and Marie Donnelly and holds an entry for Newcastle’s Fighting Fifth hurdle later this month.

But encouraged by the rain due to sweep the country over the coming days, Henderson confirmed Lulamba will – for now at least – tackle the larger obstacles starting in the Royal Oak, Heavitree ‘Chasing Excellence’ Beginners’ Chase.

Henderson told the PA news agency: “His schooling has been great and we’ll start down the chasing road anyway.

“He looks like a chaser and although he’s only four, it’s interesting as there were some good four-year-olds who went chasing last year like Sir Gino for ourselves and Majborough who did very well.

“Exeter is one of those courses where it has been ridiculously quick, but it was all right the other day and if they get the rain they are forecast over the weekend it will surely be all right on Monday.”

Despite no plans to change tack with Lulamba, Henderson admits the news that emerged from Closutton regarding State Man “muddies the Champion Hurdle picture” ahead of Constitution Hill’s Fighting Fifth return and the ever-nearing comeback of the extremely exciting Sir Gino.

The latter – who like Lulamba and State Man is a member of the Donnellys swelling Anglo-Irish arsenal – fulfilled the role of ‘supersub’ in last year’s Fighting Fifth before going on to wow on his chasing debut at Kempton when handing Ballyburn a beating in the Wayward Lad.

And while inclined to believe chasing will remain the five-year-olds game on his eagerly-awaited return, the Lambourn handler would have no qualms about his ability to switch back to timber if the situation dictated.

Henderson continued: “I haven’t spoken to Joe and what’s happened with State Man is very sad. I feel sorry for Joe and Willie because when your A team gets dented it’s horrible.

“It muddies the Champion Hurdle picture a fair bit. Constitution Hill will be going to Newbury on Tuesday for a gallop and then has to come out at Newcastle and do what he has to do and The New Lion is going to be there, so it won’t be easy.”

He went on: “Then we’ve got to get Sir Gino back – and I don’t think it will necessarily change our plan with him as he was just brilliant over fences at Kempton.

“But I’m not saying never though, and he could come back over hurdles. We’ll just have to see how it pans out as he’s very versatile and last year he ran in two races, won a Fighting Fifth over hurdles and then one over fences and it didn’t make any difference, he won both at a canter.”

The Sir Gino picture could become clearer as the festive period approaches, with Henderson delighted with the strides his supremely talented inmate is making in his recovery from the life-threatening infection that curtailed his progress last season.

He added: “We’re very pleased with Sir Gino considering the issues we had, it wasn’t an injury, it was a condition, but touch wood everything is going to plan and we’re looking forward to Christmas.

“What he starts in I have no idea at the moment and we’re not up against any clock at the moment. We’ve just got to get him there and then decide where to run him when the time comes.”