Harry Fry was delighted and relieved in equal measure after seeing steady star Gidleigh Park get his season again on monitor with a front-running victory within the Fitzdares Lightning Novices’ Chase at Windsor.
All the time held within the highest regard by his coach, the seven-year-old received a Chepstow bumper and his first three begins over hurdles earlier than ending sixth within the Albert Bartlett ultimately season’s Cheltenham Pageant.
He was an odds-on favorite to make a profitable change to chasing at Kempton in November, however was pulled up after leaping 5 fences and was later discovered to be affected by a fibrillating coronary heart.
In consequence, Gidleigh Park lined up on this Grade Two contest as a 15-2 outsider of 4 beneath Bryan Carver, nevertheless it was clear from an early stage he was having fun with the duty, as he set a powerful gallop from flag-fall that solely 4-6 favorite Caldwell Potter was in a position to reside with.
Grade One-winning hurdler Caldwell Potter, a €740,000 [£625,000] buy on behalf of an possession group that features Sir Alex Ferguson, loomed up wanting a giant hazard early within the residence straight, however Gidleigh Park saved galloping out in entrance and was nicely on high as he handed the submit with 4 lengths in hand.
Private Ambition was an additional 19 lengths behind in third, with You Put on It Nicely final of 4 from begin to end.
Fry instructed Sky Sports activities Racing: “I believe reduction might be the overriding feeling, at first that he is come out and jumped and galloped and hit the road onerous.
“Winning today was the icing on the cake, as we wanted to see him back to his best and I’m thrilled obviously to see him put in a performance like that. We’re back on track and onwards and upwards.
“Lots of people have helped us get him again, lots of people have put in numerous effort and it is nice to see that arduous work paid off and the dream is alive.
“All summer, I couldn’t believe I ran him in the Albert Bartlett over three miles to be honest, because he’s not a slow horse, as he’s shown there today.
“We have been beginning again from scratch immediately, so we’ll go residence and see how he comes out of it – clearly his well-being is paramount – and we are able to sit up for plotting the remainder of the marketing campaign with him.”
