Gidleigh Park © Photo Healy Racing
Harry Fry is relishing the prospect of seeing the exciting Gidleigh Park tackle fences this season – but ground conditions could scupper hopes of a chasing bow at Exeter on Monday.
The strapping six-year-old created a real buzz when winning the first four starts of his career in decisive fashion, but his future was always set to lie over the larger obstacles when sent novice chasing this term.
Owned by the Eyre family, Gidleigh Park holds an entry for the Brigadier Rayner Beginners’ Chase and despite Fry’s eagerness to begin his chasing career in earnest, the trainer has suggested he may miss that pencilled-in option given the current lack of rain.
Fry said: “He’s a horse we obviously have high hopes for over fences and we’re looking forward to seeing him out on the track again – whether that is Monday or not, that is probably unlikely given the current ground conditions.
“The weather looks like it might be beginning to change from the weekend onwards so hopefully it is not too long before we can get him out.”
The only slight disappointment in Gidleigh Park’s hurdling career was when stepped up to three miles in deep ground for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Although not disgraced when finishing sixth, Fry has made the decision to come back in distance for Gidleigh Park’s fencing endeavours in a bid to allow his natural attributes to come to the fore.
“I’m cross with myself and in hindsight that (Albert Bartlett) was the last race I should have run in him,” explained Fry.
“On the testing ground that day, they obviously sensibly went steady and we tried to hold him up to see out the trip. He’s a big, galloping horse who covers a lot of ground and that is his strength and we kind of curtailed that really.
“That is why we are keen to bring him back in trip over fences and he jumps and gallops and we just want to let him get on with it.
“When you see the size of him, everything he did over hurdles is a bonus and we’ve been looking forward to this point where we could go chasing and hopefully that is not too far away now.”
Ahead of Gidleigh Park’s impending return, Fry watched his talented novice hurdling prospect Anno Power make a winning debut over obstacles at Sandown last weekend, as she sets out to fill the void left by the retirement of the stable’s Cheltenham Festival-winning Love Envoi in the mares’ ranks.
Despite having to work harder than had been imagined to open her account over the timber, she showed great tenacity, with her handler hopeful she can steadily climb the rank as the season progresses.
“Credit to her because 99 per cent of horses would not have got back up and won from the back of the last,” continued Fry.
“It didn’t all go smoothly on Sunday, but that is only her first run over hurdles and there is definitely room for improvement.
“She’s come out of the race OK, but there are no immediate plans of yet. We’re just letting her fully recover before deciding where we could go next.
“You would like to think she will progress through the grades and there is a good programme for mare. We would like to think we will be taking advantage of that and plotting our way through the season, but for now a win is a win and it’s hopefully onwards and upwards.”
